MOSCOW, December 18 (RAPSI) – Ex-Interior Minister of Russia’s Komi Republic Victor Polovnikov will stand trial in a case over bribetaking on a large scale, the Investigative Committee’s press service reports Friday.

According to investigators, in 2017, the accused acting as the republican Interior Minister received through an intermediary a 14 million rubles (over $200,000), a part of a 25 million-ruble bribe ($340,000), for rendering assistance to a person charged with fraud.

Investigators believe that the alleged bribegiver was illegally released from detention on travel restrictions; and a qualifying sign was excluded from the charges on the direction of Polovnikov.

Illegal gratification was legalized by the purchase of a flat in a terrace house and share in land, the statement reads.