MOSCOW, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Russian police have arrested the director of the state medical insurance fund, Andrei Taranov, on charges of bribe-taking, a spokeswoman for the court which issued the arrest warrant said on Friday.

"These are official charges from the prosecutor-general," she told Reuters, adding Taranov was charged under articles 290, entitled "Receiving bribes" in the Russian criminal code, and article 285, called "Abusing professional position".

Taranov and his deputy Dmitry Usenko were detained on Tuesday. Taranov will be held for two months while the investigation is underway. On Saturday, the court will decide whether Usenko will face the same charges.

If found guilty, the accused could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.

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