Personnel purges in the Interior Ministry are continuing: following Evgeny Poluden, another deputy minister has lost his post - the chief of criminal police Oleg Pekarsky.
Decision on the resignation was personally taken by the president Alexander Lukashenko. And the wording, under which Pekarsky was dismissed, is identical to the one under which Poluden was discharged - "because of misconduct, discrediting the rank of a police officer".
However, in contrast to Poluden, who was charged with committing a crime under part 3. of Article 424 of the Criminal Code (abuse of power or official authority), against Pekarsky a criminal case hasn't been opened yet. At least, this information was provided to BelaPAN news agency in the KGB and in the investigative committee of Belarus.
It's curious, that for the past two months nobody has seen the Interior Minister Anatoly Kuleshov. On some internet resources appeared the information that the main "strongman" is seriously ill. Supposedly, he has the neglected oncology.
According to the Right Alliance website Kuleshov is still undergoing medical treatment, his agency was subjected to a massive "purge". Following Poluden and Pekarsky, soon the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs may also lose his job - chief of the preliminary investigation, major general of police Sergey Gureev, who allegedly has already written a report on the dismissal.
However, the web site Belarusian Partisan claims, that behind high-sounding dismissals in the Interior Ministry is the eldest son of Alexander Lukashenko Viktor, who is the assistant of the president on national security issues.
Until recently, the Interior Ministry was the last law enforcement agency, which remained outside the control of Viktor Lukashenko.
In an interview, the former Ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus Roman Bezsmertny said that in closed boozes Viktor Lukashenko is often called the future Belarusian president.
On Tuesday it was announced, that president Alexander Lukashenko has appointed the new chief of criminal police. As expected, the representative of the KGB got this place. The new Deputy Interior Minister is Igor Shunevich.
"I think, the experience you've got in the KGB, is very helpful for you, but actually you are the professional expert of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you have served in all positions in the Interior Ministry, you know it from the inside, you know the investigation very well - it is also very important to us. But the most important thing - work in the KGB (and until recently you've just engaged in control, one can just say, of the law enforcement agencies) gave you a chance to see all problems of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from within", Belta quotes the president.
The president stressed, that the new First Deputy Minister of the Interior Ministry has to prepare for more serious tasks, that have to be fulfilled. "The main thing - without looking back to take responsibility and, of course, be responsible for decisions made", he said.
"I advise you from the very first day to show, you are not just a person who came from the KGB to the Interior Ministry, as they like to talk and some scribblers to write, that supposedly, there is almost a fight between the KGB and the Interior Ministry, and so on. I must say, that KGB and Interior Ministry are the two structures working for the state. But when you come there, you should make it clear, the specialist came, knowing the Interior Ministry from within and looked at this structure from aside", Alexander Lukashenko said.
Igor Shunevich have worked for the Internal Ministry from August 1992 to December 2007, for the KGB - since December 2007.
