In the Vitebsk region, 34 criminal cases have been initiated against sham enterprise structures over 7 months

September 10, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. An inventory of business entities will be carried out in the Vitebsk region. Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets demanded today at a meeting of the regional executive committee to strengthen the work of law enforcement agencies to ensure economic security, BELTA correspondent reports. Law enforcement agencies, together with the economic committee of the regional executive committee, have been instructed to check whether all 7,413 registered business entities in the region are actually carrying out their activities. Over the past 7 months of the current year, 34 enterprises that were not conducting any activities have been identified. According to the department of the Department of Financial Investigations of the State Control Committee for the Vitebsk region, 34 criminal cases have been initiated against sham enterprises in January-July. The identified damage from their activities amounted to about Br15 billion. In addition, department employees are identifying so-called "siphon" firms that work with the same state-owned enterprises. The heads of such structures, using their personal connections and the unstable financial situation of state-owned enterprises, try to enrich themselves and do not pay taxes. For example, similar facts have been established regarding business entities that carried out financial and economic activities with OJSC "KIM". Illegal entrepreneurial activity allowed them to receive income in the amount of over Br360 million, and the damage from their activities exceeded Br400 million. 10 criminal cases have been initiated against these firms. In 2008, the DFI of the SCC for the Vitebsk region initiated 49 criminal cases against sham enterprises. -0-