Convict pays bribe to escape prison on chopper

Prison officials had illegally removed 35-year-old Alexei Shestakov from a list of convicts likely to try to escape from prison in 2011.

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This allowed him to enjoy a relatively lax regime, said prosecutors from Vologda region.

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The money went to an unnamed prison official who swayed the commission evaluating convicts for jailbreak potential.

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The official now faces up to seven years in prison on graft charges, while the commission members may get three months arrest.

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Last month, Shestakov, who was jailed till 2024 for triple murder, staged the first helicopter escape in the history of Russian penal system.

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Acting on the promise of a reward of two million rubles, his two accomplices rented a helicopter and forced the pilot at gunpoint to land on the prison's premises, where Shestakov climbed aboard.

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He was detained hours after the escape, while his accomplices were held after a few days.

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