MOSCOW, March 18 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court on Wednesday sentenced ex-director of the Investigative Committee's Main Investigations Directorate, General Alexander Drymanov to 12 years in a high-security prison for $1 million bribery, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.

Additionally, Drymanov was ordered to pay a 196 million-ruble fine, prohibited from holding law enforcement and state posts for 7 years, deprived of his Major General rank.

Colonel Alexey Kramarenko received 10 years in a high-security prison. The third defendant, ex-investigator Mikhail Maksimenko was ordered to be imprisoned for 14 years.

Earlier, the prosecution asked the court to sentence Drymanov to 16 years in prison, Kramarenko and Maksimenko to 14 and 17 years in prison respectively.

Neither of the defendants admitted guilt.

The oral arguments of the parties were heard at chambers.

Investigators believe the defendants received the bribe for mitigation of restrictive measures with respect to a member of an organized gang. The case of two other defendants, Alexander Lamonov and Denis Nikandrov, are heard separately.

Drymanov was arrested in mid-July 2018. He stands charged with receiving two large-scale and especially large-scale bribes. The defendant pleads not guilty and calls the case fabricated.