Murad Kanchiev, the head of the 43rd police department for the Petrogradsky district, has been arrested by the Oktyabrsky District Court of St. Petersburg on bribery charges.

Kanchiev is accused of accepting a bribe, a crime defined under Part 4 of Article 291.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The Joint Press Service of the Courts reported that Kanchiev allegedly offered citizens a scheme to evade criminal liability under Article 291 of the Criminal Code. The scheme involved continuing to commit crimes and paying a 17,000,000 ruble bribe through Kanchiev as an intermediary to avoid prosecution.

The investigation revealed that Kanchiev received 11 million rubles out of the total 17 million in three separate installments. He was apprehended while allegedly receiving the final million rubles under the surveillance of the FSB of the Russian Federation for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.

The case originated when the co-owner of the Mickey & Monkeys cafe sought assistance from an intermediary to resolve issues with law enforcement concerning waste disposal fees paid to the deputy head of “ZhKS 2 Admiralteysky District,” which authorities considered a bribe. After paying the intermediary 10 million rubles, the co-owner was still asked to sign a confession. Upon refusing, the fee increased to 17 million rubles, leading the entrepreneur to contact the FSB and participate in an operational sting.

Kanchiev has denied the charges against him. He requested house arrest or a ban on certain actions as an alternative to detention. The court, however, ordered him to be held in custody until September 8.