The harshest measures will be taken in Belarus to eradicate corruption - A. Lukashenko

9:14:26 14/11 NO,RKO,RO,F,RGV / 2 November 14, Minsk /BELTA/. Belarus will take the harshest measures to eradicate corruption, primarily in law enforcement and security agencies. Corresponding instructions were given on November 13 by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting on the effectiveness of measures taken to combat corruption. The issue of combating corruption is of particular importance in the context of the republic's measures to liberalize the economy, BELTA was informed by the press service of the Belarusian leader. The head of state expressed extreme indignation at the growing corruption "among those who, by their duty, are supposed to fight it." "Representatives of the security forces, who are called upon to prevent and suppress these criminal phenomena, are involved in bribery and other mercenary acts. I warn everyone: there will be no such lawlessness in Belarus! Not even in a fragmented manner. At least, as long as I am President. I will not look at positions or ranks," Alexander Lukashenko stated. According to the President, such acts are a disgrace not only to the specific person or the relevant state body, "it is an indelible stain on the reputation of the authorities as a whole." Alexander Lukashenko stressed that it is necessary to clearly understand that corruption is a threat to the political and economic security of the country, the complete decay of the state apparatus, the absolute loss of control over the economic sector, and a brake on the formation of a legal, social, democratic state. "What will we come to if people who themselves trample on laws and moral norms are engaged in the fight against corruption? What can be expected from state bodies authorized to perform control and supervisory functions, if their employees accept "buy-offs" from those being checked?" the President asked a reasonable question. Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that he is also seriously alarmed when people in uniform commit acts that, if viewed formally, are legally permissible. "But they are so morally unclean that they cannot be justified! That is, they look for loopholes in the legislation to do what they should not touch!" the head of state said. He cited specific facts of corruption in the Ministry of Defense and among prosecutors. "A prosecutor buys a very comfortable apartment with an underground garage from a businessman for a pittance. Everything seems legal, he bought it and that's it. But don't alarming thoughts arise as to why the businessman sold the apartment to the prosecutor for less than it is actually worth, and where did this prosecutor get such money?" the President said. In fact, some officials in the Ministry of Defense have established conditions for acquiring housing on preferential terms "for themselves." There is also an example where a plot of land belonging to a kindergarten was allocated for the construction of cottages by high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in a protected area. "Patronage of firms, lobbying for licenses, quotas, permits, closing criminal cases against "their businessmen" and fabricated cases against their competitors. Don't you hear what people are saying, and what abuses are being revealed?" the President addressed the participants of the meeting. Alexander Lukashenko demanded that, taking into account the current situation, the work with personnel be thoroughly analyzed again in order to make it "as open and understandable as possible," based on healthy competition of abilities and competence of applicants. "The basic principle of our policy is: the state is for the people. And to achieve this goal, I will not retreat from a decisive fight against corruption – a rust that can drag the country into the abyss of economic and socio-political upheavals. Here, the harshest requirements for the honesty and integrity of personnel are of paramount importance. Especially for those who, by their duty, stand guard over the law and the state. People in uniform must be a hundred times more concerned about the purity of their ranks than other officials. Because only with clean hands can order be established in the country," Alexander Lukashenko stated. "I have said more than once: bureaucracy is the most favorable environment for the flourishing of corruption. Renting commercial premises, holding tenders, allocating land plots, licensing types of activities, various inspections – this is far from a complete list of active corruption zones that require special attention. The procedure for resolving these issues should be such that nothing depends on the official. Then he will have nothing to take bribes for," the President believes. The head of state noted that, in general, much has already been done in recent years to curb the most dangerous manifestations of corruption: mass embezzlement of state property has been prevented, and strict anti-corruption measures have been introduced. However, the President stressed, there are no reasons to calm down and weaken the fight against this evil. According to Alexander Lukashenko, despite the fact that the total number of detected corruption crimes is decreasing, bribery is increasing. The scale of material damage from corruption offenses is increasing, and the level of its compensation is decreasing. In the sphere of public administration, in the first 10 months of this year alone, the number of corruption crimes amounted to 347. Of these, 104 were committed by employees of the internal affairs bodies, state security, financial investigations, the Ministry of Defense, the State Border Guard and the State Customs Committee. "And this is only what has been revealed! All these are very alarming trends. They indicate that the effectiveness of the fight against corruption is decreasing. Not all structures designed to guard the interests of the state and citizens are working effectively," Alexander Lukashenko stated. In his opinion, the reason for this situation lies in the irresponsibility and complacency of those who, by their duty, are supposed to fight corruption. "Activities to prevent corruption manifestations cannot be limited to individual actions and campaigns. If we want to achieve real results, an anti-corruption atmosphere must be created in the country," the President said. "In my deep conviction, it was corruption that was one of the main causes of the current world crisis. Therefore, the fight against it needs to be large-scale. After all, we have come too hard to the independence and sovereignty of our state to destroy what was achieved through the strenuous and tireless work of ordinary people for the sake of the criminal well-being of individual unscrupulous figures!" Alexander Lukashenko emphasized. As noted during the report by Prosecutor General Grigory Vasilievich, there is still a lot of formalism in the work of prosecutors, and not all available opportunities are used. The Prosecutor General made several proposals to improve work in the department and subordinate structures, as well as in general regarding the fight against corruption. In particular, it was proposed not to extend the amnesty to those convicted of bribery, especially if it concerns officials. Grigory Vasilievich also believes that the responsibility of those who give bribes must be increased. Chairman of the Supreme Court Valentin Sukalo noted a number of shortcomings that seriously reduce the effectiveness of the fight against corruption. According to him, these are problems with the quality of justice, preliminary investigation, and the maintenance of state prosecution in court. As noted by State Secretary of the Security Council Yuri Zhadobin, the facts of receiving bribes in particularly large and large amounts revealed last year constitute only 2-4% of the total number of such crimes. There is a tendency towards "miniaturization" of corrupt officials, which indicates shortcomings in law enforcement agencies. Cases of bribery among responsible officials are isolated. Among corruption crimes, official forgery and legalization of proceeds of crime (which, according to the State Secretary, are particularly difficult to combat) prevail, as well as a low level of compensation for damages. Having heard the reports, the President summarized that he expected more principled and qualitative assessments from the speakers. Alexander Lukashenko stated that in Belarus, from January 1, 2009, the decision to mitigate punishment for law enforcement officers convicted of corruption offenses will be made exclusively by the President. At the same time, convicted law enforcement officers must serve their sentences not in special colonies, but in ordinary ones, "along with hardened criminals," the head of state added. Alexander Lukashenko regretted that a system of proper interaction between bodies fighting corruption has not been created in the country. The President tasked the Secretariat of the Security Council to immediately address this issue and ensure proper coordination of the relevant structures. "In a fragmented state, we will never achieve effectiveness in the fight against corruption," the head of state emphasized. Alexander Lukashenko stressed that there are several problematic issues in the fight against corruption. According to him, law enforcement agencies lack proper developments in identifying corruption crimes in the most significant areas of activity: budget, foreign economic, energy, petrochemical, automotive, and others. The analysis of the financial and economic activities of high-income enterprises is not fully carried out, and processes related to privatization and corporatization are not tracked at the proper level. In the President's opinion, the inability of law enforcement agencies to adequately respond to modern, more sophisticated facts of corruption is obvious today. The President noted serious shortcomings in the operational component of law enforcement agencies' activities in identifying and solving crimes. "In practice, numerous operational-search measures end without results. For the operational services of law enforcement agencies, a lack of targeted work is also characteristic, with activity only at the initial stage. You announce a high-profile case, and by the end it falls apart due to lack of evidence," he said, noting the excessive duration of investigations in some cases. Alexander Lukashenko also drew attention to the validity of using an operational experiment, which, according to him, "is increasingly turning from a legal tool into an instrument of provocation." The main task should be to identify criminals, not to incite citizens to commit crimes. Priority attention should be paid to the personnel purity of the state apparatus, its legal and moral integrity, the head of state declared. He instructed the Administration of the President to significantly improve work on personnel selection and placement. "We need to ensure that officials have not only no conditions, but also no reasons for corrupt activities," the President emphasized. Alexander Lukashenko noted that it is necessary to develop and implement new work methods that allow not to be behind events, but to deliver preemptive strikes against real corruption, not "petty stuff." At the same time, the head of state noted that law enforcement agencies themselves should be an example in investigating corruption criminal cases. During the meeting, the President instructed the Prosecutor General to submit a proposal by the end of the day for the dismissal of Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Kupriyanov and Minsk Region Prosecutor Mikhail Snegyr from their positions. The head of state also instructed to initiate a criminal case. Alexander Lukashenko expressed outrage at the inaction of law enforcement agencies regarding the activities of the Minsk Region Prosecutor Mikhail Snegyr. In May 2007, Mikhail Snegyr purchased a 5-room apartment with an underground garage in the center of Minsk from a foreign company, with an area of over 200 sq.m. "It would seem he bought it for himself, so what. But the first question that should have arisen is: 200 square meters, in the center of Minsk, an underground garage. Where did he get the money? An ordinary official – where did you get the money?" the President emphasized. According to the available facts, Mikhail Snegyr bought this apartment from a representative of a commercial firm – a person who at that time had no right to represent this firm and had been dismissed due to staff reductions. Furthermore, this apartment could not be sold by a legal entity, as an employee of the firm, Sidorovich, lived there under a lease agreement with the firm until 2024. The apartment was purchased by Mikhail Snegyr at a reduced price – Br156 million, while its market value was over $500,000. To give the transaction the appearance of legality, Snegyr drew up a forged additional agreement to the purchase and sale agreement, which stipulated a different price for the apartment – Br535 million. "When Sidorovich, who lived in the apartment, appealed to the court of the Central District of Minsk, what do you think the judges' position was: Ilyina, Yesman, Pavlyuchuk?... Judge Ilyina coordinated the sequence of her actions with Snegyr by phone," the President said. At the same time, judges Yesman and Pavlyuchuk made a decision to impose a penalty on the tenant of the apartment for allegedly unauthorized renovation of the apartment, which in reality did not happen. The tenant Sidorovich appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office 8 times with a complaint about the illegal actions of Prosecutor Snegyr. "And what do you think?... No answer!" Alexander Lukashenko stated. "Because all the documents were written off from the case by Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Kupriyanov, who was on friendly terms with Snegyr," he added. "But that's not all: on the territory of the Tsnyanskoye reservoir, Snegyr is completing the construction of a cottage, the cost of which, based on visual estimates alone, is at least $1 million. Where did the money come from? I am deliberately detailing these machinations to show the degree of impudence and audacity that some high-ranking employees of the judicial and law enforcement systems have reached," Alexander Lukashenko noted. According to him, "this cottage, which looks more impressive than the residence of the head of state," was registered by Mikhail Snegyr to a straw man. "And one more detail about the regional prosecutor's character. Friends-entrepreneurs approached him with a request for assistance in eliminating a competitor and overturning a decision already made by the Supreme Economic Court. Here Snegyr showed unusual activity," the President added. When, due to the principled position of the First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Economic Court, Evgeny Smirnov, Mikhail Snegyr could not resolve this issue, he turned to Deputy Prosecutor General Kupriyanov for help, and he, in the order of prosecutorial supervision, suspended the execution of the court's decision. "Here are a few vivid examples of the system of mutual cover-ups and permissiveness that some high-ranking officials of state bodies have created," the head of state summarized. "According to the logic of this same Snegyr and his ilk, it turns out: whoever has more rights can do as they please," Alexander Lukashenko said. "It won't work!" The President also stated that a number of high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus will be dismissed in November. According to the head of state, 10 high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs deliberately violated the law to obtain land plots in the Minsk region