A former Moscow police officer acquitted in the 2006 murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya was convicted of extortion Monday and sentenced to eight years in prison.

The former officer, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, was convicted of extorting $350,000 from a key witness in Politkovskaya's murder trial. The witness, police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenko, testified in court that Khadzhikurbanov wanted him to track Politkovskaya.

Another suspect in the extortion case, Chervony Ogly, was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison Monday.

Both denied their guilt and said they would appeal.

Last February, a jury acquitted Khadzhikurbanov and two more suspects in Politkovskaya's murder, but the ruling was later overturned by the Supreme Court and sent back to prosecutors for a new investigation.

(MT)