Russian ex-minister jailed for bribery granted parole

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s former economic development minister sentenced for eight years on bribery charges has been granted parole. Alexei Ulyukayev, the highest-ranking Russian official to be arrested and imprisoned since 1993, has served more than five years. He had filed a petition for early release, and court officials told Interfax news Agency Friday that he was granted parole two days earlier. Ulyukayev was detained in 2016 at the headquarters of Russia’s largest oil producer, state-owned Rosneft, after a sting operation by Russia’s main intelligence agency. Prosecutors say he accepted a $2 million bribe from Rosneft’s influential CEO, Igor Sechin, for giving the company the green light to privatize another oil firm. Ulyukayev has maintained his innocence.