Belarusian oligarch Shevtsov arrested?

Oligarch Viktor Shevtsov close to family of Lukashenka has been arrested.

As charter97.org has learnt, Shevtsov was thrown behind bars in early November, but there was no official information about the arrest of one of the most influential Belarusian businessmen.

The reason for the arrest of the key figure in Belarusian arms business was problems with Belzarubezhstroi company, which deals with construction works in Venezuela. Venezuelan partners caught Belarusians as they tried to steal two tonnes of reinforcing bars, a source says. The information was spread by local officials during a visit of Viktar Sheiman to Venezuela and became known to Lukashenka.

The chair of supervisory board of Trustbank, Viktor Shevtsov, is among Belarus’s most successful and influential businessmen. He has interests in a number of sectors, from power-plant engineering to business centre and Dudutki ethnological museum. He also has many projects in Venezuela.

According to “Zavtra Tvoei Strany”, Shevtsov became famous as the chair of Infobank (now Trustbank) due to projects in hot spots around the world. His commercial entities carried on business in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Iran.

In 2004, the American administration accused Infobank of money laundering for the Iraqi regime. Later, Infobank was noticed in illegal arms sales to Iraq.

The bank was renamed as Trustbank in 2005.

The Libyan Arab Foreign Bank owned 35% of the bank since 2001. Official Minsk and Shevtsov had great plans for Libya in exchange for loans and participation in privatization. Libyans did not move beyond promises amid a thaw in relations with the US and Europe and sold their stake in the Belarusian bank in 2008.

Trustbank actively cooperates with Venezuelan and Iranian businessmen. Trustbank, Belpars and two Belarusian building companies formed shareholders' equity of closed joint stock company Belzarubezhstroi, which plays a key role in promoting Belarus’s interests in Venezuela. Found in 2007, Belzarubezhstroi works in two directions – construction projects and supplies of Belarusian goods to the Latin American market.