MOSCOW, September 17 (RAPSI) – The First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction on Thursday upheld a 12-year prison sentence given to ex-director of the Investigative Committee's Main Investigations Directorate Alexander Drymanov for $1 million bribery, RAPSI was told in the court.

Moreover, the court dismissed appeals against sentence of other defendants, Colonel Alexey Kramarenko and ex-investigator Mikhail Maksimenko.

The Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Drymanov in March. In addition to the prison term he was fined 196 million rubles, prohibited from holding law enforcement and state posts for 7 years and deprived of his Major General rank. Kramarenko received 10 years in a high-security prison. 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.

Investigators claimed 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.