A former senior official in Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, on Wednesday shot himself dead in a Moscow courtroom after being sentenced to prison time for corruption, state media reported.

The man, who had previously headed a Transportation Department in the penitentiary service, was found guilty of extorting a 10 million rouble (or 160,000 dollar) bribe and was sentenced to three years in a high-security prison.

According to a court representative, after the judge announced the punishment, the defendant used a pistol to kill himself.

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However, it was not immediately clear how he managed to sneak the weapon into the courtroom.

Russia’s top Investigative Agency said that it would examine the court’s safety regime.

Vanguard