MOSCOW, June 10 (RAPSI) – Moscow’s Presnensky District Court on Monday found ex-Russian anti-corruption official, police colonel Dmitry Zakharchenko, guilty of corruption crimes, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

The court found that Zakharchenko being on duty personally took a bribe and extended patronage for it. The bribe was received by a group of people in conspiracy, a judge held.

In mid-May, a prosecutor demanded a 15.5-year prison term and a 494-million-ruble fine for Zakharchenko.

The prosecutor asked the court to pay attention to the high public danger of crimes Zakharchenko was accused of, qualifying them as “some of the most dangerous for public guilty acts, which may be committed by law enforcement officers”.

Ex-Russian anti-corruption official was arrested on September 8, 2016, on allegation of taking a 7-million-ruble (about $105,000) bribe. During searches at his sister’s apartment law enforcement officers found around 9 billion rubles ($140 million). He denied any relation to the seized funds.

According to investigators, in 2014, Zakharchenko and his accomplice received $800,000 from a restaurant businessman. Initially, they demanded 5 million rubles ($75,000). In 2015, they allegedly demanded from that businessman a 50% discount card of his restaurants, and therefore the defendant saved over 3.5 million rubles during bill payment.

Moreover, investigators claim that in 2016, he warned a familiar woman about forthcoming searches as part of a fraud case and organized taking of all documents and office equipment out to prevent their seizure.

In late April, his father Viktor Zakharchenko received 4 years in prison and a 800,000-ruble ($12,500) fine for embezzlement.

Viktor Zakharchenko, the father of ex-Russian anti-corruption official, on April 29 received 4 years in prison for embezzlement.

The case against Viktor Zakharchenko was separated from the case of his son Dmitry Zakharchenko.