Will Paludzen, Snyahir and Azaronak be amnestied?

According to experts, several former high-ranking officers of power structures and law-enforcing agencies could expect to be amnestied.

The Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Amnesty in connection with the 70th Anniversary of liberation of Belarus from Nazi invaders” has come into force. As told by experts in the sphere Criminal Executive Law to Interfax agency, “with rather great probability one can say that several generals and colonels could be included in this amnesty.” At the same time experts have made reservations that according to Article 4 of this law under certain conditions persons could be included in the amnesty after they served at least one fourth of their term.

In particular, according to experts, “the amnesty which has begun, can concern the former chief of the air force and air defense troops of Belarus, Major General Ihar Azaryonak (Igor Azarenok), who in the end of 2011 was sentenced to 9 years for lobbying interests of a Russian enterprise regarding the delivery of certain equipment.” As said by them, “in case the former General Azaryonak would not be released, he almost certainly can expect reduction of his term for serving punishment. Experts have reminded that according to the materials of the criminal case the size of the cut received by Azaryonak was more than Br 138 mln.

Besides, according to their predictions, one more high-ranking officer of law-enforcing agencies, who had a rank of general, a former prosecutor of Minsk region Mikhail Snyahir (Mikhail Snegir) could be amnestied. In 2009 Snyahir was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment for abuse of office and corruption crimes, in 2013 he was released and sentenced to supervised release, but he does not have the record of his conviction expunged.

The former deputy minister of internal affairs Yauhen Paludzen (Engeniy Poludzen) (on the picture) could be included in the amnesty as well. “There are good chances that Paludzen can be released earlier. He has served the minimum of the term for early release, if the administrative board adopts such a decision naturally,” experts say. Paludzen, who had built a career in the Interior Affairs Ministry rapidly, was detained on December 8, 2011 and dismissed from his position in the interior affairs agencies with the wording “in connection with committing wrongdoings discrediting the rank of security agencies officer.” In 2013 he was sentenced to 3.5 years of imprisonment for “abuse of power or position by a person in a position of responsibility.”

Experts also do not exclude that a former first deputy of the Economic Crime Department of the Interior Affairs Ministry of Belarus Ivan Klimyankou could be amnestied this time as well. In 2006 by the Supreme Court he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for abuse of power and bribe in an especially large amount.

According to experts’ prognosis, the majority of the amnestied to be released this autumn: “Though in fact on the first day after the law came into force “the first robins”, including the persons wearing famous names, flew out of prison, the majority of people included in the amnesty are to get liberty in autumn.”