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Russian governor arrested while taking bribe: official

The governor of Russia’s central Kirov region was arrested Friday allegedly in the act of accepting a bribe of 400,000 euros ($447,000), the Russian committee of enquiry said.

“A criminal enquiry has been opened,” against governor Nikita Belykh arrested “in the act of corruption in a restaurant,” in Moscow, the committee said in a statement.

Belykh is suspected of accepting the money, through an intermediary, in return for turning a blind eye to dodgy investments in the region.

He becomes the third Russian governor to be arrested on suspicions of corruption in just over a year.

Corruption is endemic in Russia, undermining public confidence in the institutions and is seen as a major brake on the country’s economic development.