The President of Belarus has instructed to optimize the system of prosecutor's bodies

August 7, Minsk /BELTA/. In the context of liberalizing economic relations in Belarus, increased demands are placed on the prosecutor's office and the quality of its work. This fact was particularly emphasized by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on August 6 at a meeting on the activities of the prosecutor's office, BELTA was informed by the press service of the Belarusian leader. Alexander Lukashenko stressed the importance and unchanging role of the prosecutor's office in the life of society and the state: to stand guard over the law and the legal foundations of the state. He recalled that the necessity of the prosecutor's office as such has never been questioned in the country, nor has the issue of limiting its supervisory powers been raised. It is the prosecutor's office that is entrusted with such responsible functions as supervising the precise and uniform execution of laws, combating crime and corruption, and protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens and the interests of the state. "In fact, it can be said that the prosecutor's office supervises all spheres of public life and state administration," he said. At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko stated that the prosecutor's office "should not be an isolated structure, a kind of caste, but should serve the state and the Belarusian people." Special requirements are imposed on controlling structures in the state. "Because you are given the right to control, and the controller himself must be an order of magnitude higher in his morality and consciousness than those whom he controls," he emphasized. Alexander Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that the prosecutor's office does not yet fully meet the requirements of life. This is evidenced by both facts and public opinion. "Act in the interests of the state – that is what I need most from the prosecutor's office," the President said. Despite certain difficulties in the formation and development of Belarusian statehood, there is no criminal anarchy, mass manifestations of extremism, and anti-constitutional actions in the country. In recent years, Belarus has seen positive dynamics in the reduction of crime. Thus, in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period last year, 9.5% fewer crimes were registered, the number of particularly serious crimes decreased by 8.5%, serious crimes by 12%, and intentional homicides by 24%. A significant decrease in grievous bodily harm, robbery, theft, and hooliganism is noted. At the same time, the President stressed that the detection rate of crimes causes serious concern. Almost 42% of crimes committed in the first half of the year remained unsolved, including over 24% of serious and particularly serious crimes. Recidivism is also significant, with an increase in embezzlement through abuse of official powers, bribery, and forgery. Therefore, the head of state noted, increased demands are placed on the prosecutor's office and the quality of its work, especially in the current conditions, when issues of ensuring legality in the process of liberalizing economic relations and privatizing state property are of paramount importance. It is the prosecutor's office, as a kind of headquarters for coordinating the activities of all law enforcement agencies, that must ensure more significant results in the fight against crime and corruption, and the effective protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and the state. The President believes that the existence of significant and systemic shortcomings in this area is unacceptable and simply inadmissible. Identified shortcomings should be promptly eliminated. Alexander Lukashenko recalled that a decision was made to conduct a comprehensive audit of the prosecutor's office to develop measures to improve its effectiveness. Prosecutor General Grigory Vasilievich informed about the main problems in the prosecutor's office, highlighting in particular the issues of combating corruption. In his assessment, gaps in legislation and the imperfection of many formulations primarily create fertile ground for corruption. The Prosecutor General voiced his proposals for improving the prosecutor's office, including the formation of a reserve of prosecutorial personnel using the potential of the "district level," improving document flow, strengthening supervision in strategic areas, improving the quality of investigations and inquiries, and wider use, where possible, of correctional labor instead of imprisonment, and others. Assessing the Prosecutor General's report, the President emphasized that the speech was merely another self-justifying report and a list of issues that, in principle, could be resolved in the normal course of business and should not be brought up for discussion at the highest level. The head of state expressed his dissatisfaction with the report. During the meeting, prosecutors, including those from the regions, spoke about the problems in the prosecutor's office and made proposals to improve the activities of this important supervisory body. For example, many believe that the work of prosecutorial staff in the field is too regulated "from above," a large volume of "paperwork" hinders real work, and the number of inspections is unjustifiably high. In this regard, the President emphasized: "District and regional prosecutors – people who themselves see problematic issues on the ground, including in the fight against corruption – must plan their work in certain areas based on specific conditions. This is my decision. I forbid the Prosecutor General to dictate to the local level what and how to do. There is no need to plan convoluted events prompted from Minsk that turn out to be empty in reality. Moreover, during my regional trips, the prosecutor must be ready to report on the main areas of his work and plans." Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the demand for corruption must be maximal. "There is no need to pity anyone here. After all, an official is appointed to protect the interests of the people, but it turns out that he also extorts the last money from a person," the President said. The prosecutorial staff themselves admitted that this state body does not effectively perform its main function – supervision. At the meeting, many speakers raised the issue of the deteriorating quality of investigations and spoke in favor of creating a single investigative committee directly subordinate to the President of the country. The head of state believes that this issue requires thorough consideration. "Perhaps it will not be worse if we create a powerful investigative committee directly subordinate to the President and supervised by the Prosecutor General, but will we lose something during the time it takes to create such a body? The second point: now investigations are conducted in various structures, and thus not only the material but also the intellectual base of these various departments is used – this is also a positive factor. However, if such a question arises, then it cannot be postponed. We need to carefully consider it again, and if innovations are needed, then everything must be done now," Alexander Lukashenko noted. Chairman of the Supreme Court Valentin Sukalo believes that the prosecutor's office should become a coordinating and training center for modern investigation methods. In his opinion, not always high-quality investigative work, uncritical assessment of collected evidence, unfounded self-confidence, and "hoping for the best" often lead to courts issuing acquittals in the best case, and in the worst case, to unjustified convictions of citizens. This entails severe legal consequences and significant financial costs. Summing up the discussion, the President demanded the elimination of duplication of powers in the activities of the prosecutor's office and other structures. "The prosecutor's office in Belarus is compact; it does not need any overhaul today. The main issue is to increase efficiency," Alexander Lukashenko is convinced. According to him, the prosecutor's office is the system that is the main defender of the rights and legitimate interests of the state and citizens, and any failures in its work are unacceptable. "The incoming signals about significant problems in the work of the prosecutor's office clearly show: in certain issues, you have fundamentally detached yourselves from reality. Some have come to believe in their own inviolability, others are resting on their laurels of independence. I have repeatedly said: we have no privileged, closed, or isolated structures in the country. Yes, according to the Constitution, the prosecutor is independent, but not from the requirements of legality, honesty, decency, and morality," the President said. As Alexander Lukashenko stated, the audit of the prosecutor's office, unfortunately, revealed "a number of serious illnesses." "But, as I see from our conversation, they are not chronic at all; we can cope with them," he emphasized. Alexander Lukashenko demanded that prosecutors be guided in their activities solely by a universal, state approach: "No subjectivism, personal motivations. Act from the position of the state and the people." The President noted that attempts to give general supervision a continuous, comprehensive character, covering literally all spheres of activity in society, have led to the prosecutor's office performing functions not inherent to it. "Quality is often lost behind quantitative indicators. Great efforts are expended – and the effect is insignificant. Why were universal prosecutorial checks on the conditions of keeping pets carried out? What is the effect of this? Perhaps those who should solve such problems should be made to work? The prosecutor should see everything, but act in such a way that it does not overload his work for his main purpose. Do not devalue your position, after all," the President pointed out. "You should win by skill, not by numbers. For me, efficiency indicators are important. In economics, this is profit and profitability. For example, recently, Resolution No. 991 "On Certain Issues of Purchasing Goods in the Republic of Belarus" was issued, and it effectively prohibited economic entities from trading. Let the manager decide how to act, and you should be held accountable for profit and profitability! Why should someone dictate whom to trade with, whether to work with intermediaries or not? We started to figure out who prepared the resolution. It turned out that one "figure" prepared this document at the instruction of the prime minister, threw it on his desk, and left for vacation the next day. There is no one to hold accountable! Yes, intermediation is bad, and we must avoid it. But for what purpose? To have a lower price and good quality. Why did you stir up the whole country? It is the private entrepreneur's business where and how to buy; he understands that it is his money, he will never buy at a higher price and with worse quality. Therefore, the issues are with state-owned enterprises. So let's set tasks, and then – after a month, we will check, and those responsible will answer. That's all, and there's no need for any fuss. Otherwise, questions arise: where is the liberalization of economic activity we are talking about, where is the manager's independence, if we are writing to him what to buy from whom. Let him figure it out himself, and our task is to give a legal and other assessment to the manager responsible for production. This is how we should act, not march across the country," the President declared. Alexander Lukashenko once again expressed his strict demand – to eliminate unjustified inspections: "This applies to all controlling and supervisory bodies – there should be no unjustified and arbitrary inspections. Do not distract people from work, do not interfere with enterprise managers and businesses in this difficult time. Come to organizations and entrepreneurs only if you are convinced that an offense has occurred. If someone neglects the law, bring them to justice. But you should only go for inspections where there is something to hold onto, no 'maybe we'll find something' should exist. Otherwise, suspicion arises: why did you go there, maybe to settle scores with someone? Or to help someone fight a competitor? Or are you looking for something to put in your pocket?" Alexander Lukashenko added: "If an enterprise has good profit and profitability, there is no need to go there with inspections at all. Otherwise, it stifles people's initiative. If you go, it should only be to gain experience." The President also pointed to individual manifestations of formalism, incompetence, and procrastination in the work of prosecutorial staff and demanded an irreconcilable fight against such facts. The head of state also touched upon the issue of working with personnel: the system of their selection and placement should be transparent and understandable to everyone. In conclusion, the President reiterated: "I will say frankly: I am not satisfied with the state of the prosecutor's office's work in preventing and suppressing corruption. And what kind of fight against corruption can we talk about when prosecutorial staff themselves sin with this – accepting bribes, lobbying for the interests of commercial structures, abusing official powers." He also added that his position on this issue remains unchanged: no one can and should escape punishment for such actions. Alexander Lukashenko instructed the Administration of the President, the State Security Council Secretariat, and the prosecutor's office to review the system of the prosecutor's office within three months to optimize it and take into account all the remarks made at the meeting.