Belneftekhim accounts have been frozen in Latvia and Estonia

Latvia-based Hansabanka and Hansapank in Estonia have frozen the accounts of the Belarusian state concern “Belneftekhim”. It has happened after the Administration of the US President George Bush froze accounts of Belneftekhim in the beginning of November.

On November 14 Estonian Hansapank froze Belneftekhim Baltic OU accounts, an Estonian newspaper “Business News” informs. The grounds for that was a resolution of the bank’s council. Under that decision “all money resources and economic resources owned or controlled by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Money resources of some other officials of Belarus responsible for violations of international election standards in the election of 2006, applying harsh methods against the civil society and the opposition, and individuals, legal entities and organizations connected with them, are frozen as well”.

Latvian Hansabanka has done the same, but then opened two accounts giving a chance to a firm “to sort out the situation”, as said by CEO of Belneftekhim Baltic SIA Vladimir Demidov, the agency www.biznews.lv informs.

On November 13 George Bush Administration froze accounts of the Belarusian State Concern for Oil and Chemistry, also known as Belneftekhim. The reason for that named by the US government was Lukashenka’s controlling the concern. The action against the Belarusian State Concern for Oil and Chemistry extends to its offices in Germany, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia and China. The sanctions have also frozen any assets the oil monopoly has under U.S. jurisdiction, including the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Belneftekhim, USA. The US demand to stop repressions in Belarus and release political prisoners.

The US will continue imposing sanctions if political prisoners would not be released, stated Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs David Kramer.