It was a trial marked by intrigue. A covertly recorded sting operation, repeated court dodges by a key witness. Even Kafka made an appearance. But its conclusion was by far the most sensational scene.

A well-respected Russian official — the first cabinet minister to be arrested since the fall of the Soviet Union — had been sentenced to eight years in a high-security prison and handed a $2.2 million fine.

The verdict on Friday in the case of former economic minister Alexei Ulyukayev — found guilty of accepting a $2 million bribe from Igor Sechin, the CEO of oil giant Rosneft — sent shockwaves through Russia’s elite.

“Governors, officials,” former State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov wrote in a Facebook post soon after the decision. “If a minister can be sent to prison with this kind of ‘proof,’ then any of you can be sent just as easily.”

For many, the ruling foreshadowed what the political landscape may look like after March next year — when President Vladimir Putin is expected to win a fourth term in office, extending his tenure to 2024.

“The country is going into the next presidential term with the court having turned into a private instrument,” the political scientist Gleb Pavlovsky told The Moscow Times after the ruling. “If 20 years ago the country was complaining that the streets were full of criminals, now the criminals are running the court.”

“This is a much more dangerous situation,” Pavlovsky added.

Ulyukayev was arrested in November 2016 while he was at the helm of the country’s economy. According to judge Larisa Semyonova who read the verdict on Friday, the former minister solicited a bribe from Sechin in return for green-lighting Rosneft's bid to buy government-held stakes in the Bashneft oil company.