Former deputy prosecutor-general in Belarus gets six years in jail

The former deputy prosecutor-general of Belarus, Alyaksandr Arkhipau, has been sentenced to six years in prison for abuse of office and bribe-taking.

The Belarusian Supreme Court's Military Collegiate also ruled on June 17 to confiscate Arkhipau's car and a 20-kilogram gold bullion he reportedly received as a bribe.

Arkhipau's co-defendant, the former chairman of the Belarusian parliament's House of Representatives, Uladzimer Kanaplyou, was found guilty of not reporting a crime and fined the equivalent of $13,000.

Arkhipau was detained in November on charges he helped to stop an investigation into a deadly traffic accident in return for a bribe.

He was later released on condition he not leave Minsk before the investigations were over.

Arkhipau was immediately arrested after his verdict and sentencing were made public on June 17.