MP caught on having fake order

Uladzimir Pantyukhou, the chairman of a standing committee of the “council of the republic”, was awarded with an order of a non-existing academy.

The Order of Peter the Great II Class was given to the MP by the Russian NGO “Academy of Security, Defence, Law and Order of the Russian Federation” (ABOP), the same organisation that give the rank of professor to Viktar Sheiman, the head of Lukashenka's Property Management Directorate.

This information is contained in the official biography of the official on the website of the “council of the republic”.

The Academy of Security, Defence, Law and Order of the Russian Federation (ABOP) was closed down on December 10, 2008, on a decision of the Supreme Court on request of the Prosecutor General of Russia.

The website charter97.org tried to talk to Uladzimir Pantyukhou to learn why his official CV contains information about awarding with the order of the non-existing academy. A journalist was told in the office of the standing committee on economy, budget and finance of the “council of the republic”, which Pantyukhou heads, that the MP “is out and will not appear today”. An office representative declined to give comments.

It should be reminded that the Russian prosecutor general's office revealed that the Academy of Security, Defence, Law and Order illegally gave special ranks coinciding with military ranks of Russia and used elements of service dress similar to the military uniform.

Staff members of the academy had service certificates resembling state-recognised certificates, which were used for personal gain that “created conditions for corruption and discredited the state power”. Service certificates of the academy were noticed in crimes as a rule relating to large-scale frauds, the report of the prosecutor general's office reads.

Members of the academy were awarded special ranks – full member of the academy, corresponding member of the academy and honorary ranks “honoured scientist of ABOP” and “honoured lawyer of ABOP” – with giving special label pins and certificates.

The Belarusian department of the academy is headed by member of the “council of the republic” Mikalai Charhinets.

It is not the only case when Lukashenka's official turn out to have fake awards and ranks by Lukashenka's officials. Charter97.org already reported about such inclinations of former minister of justice Viktar Halavanau and chairman of the Supreme Economic Court Viktar Kamyankou.