Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny found guilty of fraud, awarded 9 years in jail

Navalny is currently serving another prison sentence of 2 1/2 years in a prison colony east of Moscow.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was convicted of fraud and contempt of court and sentenced to nine years in a maximum security prison on Tuesday.

Before he was jailed, Navalny was Russia's main opposition leader. (Reuters file photo)

A judge also ruled that Navalny would have to pay a fine of 1.2 million rubles (about $11,500).

Navalny is currently serving another prison sentence of 2 1/2 years in a prison colony east of Moscow. His associates have said the new trial was intended to keep Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s longtime foe, behind bars for as long as possible. Navalny has rejected the charges as bogus.