Siarhei Rauneika, assistant to Belarusian President, has been detained for receiving a bribe of $ 200,000. But this was by no means the only fact of corruption in Belarus: there have been plenty of high-profile arrests of officials and appointees in the last few months.
Official from the presidential inspection
In early May, the State Security Committee reported the arrest of high-ranking officials of the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora under the President of Belarus.
That’s what the KGB said:
“In fact, there was a multi-level system for receiving remuneration in the form of poached wildlife. The persons who participated in poaching were under protection of the inspectors, who provided them with information about planned raids, citizen’s reports of violations of environmental legislation by poachers, they returned seized poaching gear (nets, traps, etc.). “
As a result, the list of the arrested officials included the head of the Vitsebsk regional inspection Vasily Lemeshau, the head of the Mazyr inter-district inspection Uladzimir Lahimahau and his deputy Alyaksandr Krasyuk. Six leaders of interdistrict inspections of the Vitsebsk region also appear in the case.
The case against the person in charge of the consumer market in Minsk
On May 10, the Investigation Committee reported on the detention of Andrei Damaratsky, former head of the Main Department of the Consumer Market of the Minsk City Executive Committee, for abuse of official authority. The UK believes that the official caused significant damage to the state interests.
It is significant that the predecessor of Domoratsky – Sergei Borisevich – also detained, on suspicion of corruption.
In early March, news of corruption came from Homiel. Two high-ranking officials from the enforcement department of the Justice Department of the Homiel Oblast Executive Committee. They are suspected of official authority abuse. Officials are facing up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
Last year, the Homiel Central District Court heard a criminal case against the ex-head of the Compulsory Punishment Department of the Main Justice Department of the Homiel Oblast Executive Committee. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
In April, Interior Minister Ihar Shunevich spoke about the detention of the former chairman of the Homiel Region Executive Committee Alyaksandr Sitnitsa.
"It began with Sitnitsa’s ‘disappearance’ — he stopped going to work. The enforcement agencies did not comment on this information. Only the press service of the Homiel Regional Executive Committee reported the dismissal of Sitnitsa “for absenteeism”.
The official was put on the wanted list and, according to TUT.BY sources, he was detained in Russia. Officially, the information about his detention in Russia could not be confirmed.
Mr Sitnitsa headed the Homiel Region Executive Committee since 2009.
There was also the detention of the Minsk Palace of Sports Director Siarhey Pranovich. He did, however, receive bribes, but not $ 200,000, like an assistant to Lukashenka did. His sums were only $ 100-1,200. But according to the KGB, the money came to him almost daily starting from 2014 … Pranovich took bribes for preferences in the renting of the palace for exhibitions.