Jailed Putin foe Navalny convicted of new fraud charges, adding 9 years to his prison term

Moscow — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been handed a lengthy prison term on top of the one he is already serving. In a trial that Kremlin critics see as an attempt to keep President Vladimir Putin's most ardent foe behind bars for as long as possible, a Moscow court sentenced Navalny on Tuesday to nine years detention in one of Russia's notorious penal colonies after finding him guilty of fraud and contempt of court.

The prosecution accused Navalny, who is currently serving 2 1/2 years in a penal colony east of Moscow, of embezzling money that he and his foundation raised over the years and of insulting a judge during a previous trial. Navalny rejected the allegations as politically motivated.

The prosecution has asked for 13 years in a maximum security prison for the anti-corruption crusader and a 1.2 million-ruble (roughly $10,700) fine. It wasn't immediately clear if Navalny was expected to serve the new sentence concurrently with his current one, or on top of it.