MOSCOW, March 11 (RAPSI) – A court has placed Healthcare Minister of Russia’s Altai Republic Sergey Kovalenko in detention as part of a case over taking bribes totaling nearly 4.6 million rubles (over $60,000), the Investigative Committee’s press service reports.

The court is also considering a motion to detain his assistant Rustam Tuyunchekov now.

According to preliminary information, from March 2020 to February 2021, Kovalenko and Tuyunchekov repeatedly received bribes from managers of three firms worth nearly 4.6 million rubles for assistance in the conclusion of state contracts for supplies of medical equipment and individual protective gears and common protection.