A Russian Federal Prosecution Investigation Committee senior official, Grigory Dymovets, is suspected of accepting $1.5 million in bribes, the committee said on Wednesday.
"According to the investigation, Dymovets accepted $1 million between April and May, 2010, through a go-between, a lawyer for a suspect in a trafficking case," the committee said on its website adding that Dymovets was working on the case.
"On May 25, 2010, Dymovets was caught red-handed while taking a $500,000 bribe," the statement said.
The committee said that it opened a criminal case against Dymovets. If convicted he may face up to 12 years in prison.
Medvedev signed in April a bill on the creation of a national anti-corruption program for 2010-2011, aimed at eliminating corruption, including among top officials.
The Berlin-based non-governmental anti-corruption organization Transparency International has persistently rated Russia one of the most corrupt nations in the world. In the 2009 Corruption Perception Index, Russia was ranked 146th of 180, below countries like Togo, Pakistan and Libya. The United States was ranked 19th.
A total of 4,500 corruption cases were brought to court in the first half of 2009 in Russia, with 532 public officials and 700 law enforcers convicted.
MOSCOW, May 26 (RIA Novosti)
