Former head of Finianical Investigations Department arrested

The General Prosecutor’s office has arrested the former director of the Financial Investigations department of the State Control Committee Anatol Hromau.

He is charged with founding and participation in a criminal organisation consisting of several dozens people, “Ezhednevnik” writes.

Anatol Hramovich was appointed at the position of the deputy chairman of the State Control Committee, director of the Financial Investigations Department in January 2002. It happened soon after the former State Committee of Financial Investigations lost its independence and became a department of the State Control Committee.

Anatol Hramovich came to the position of the director of the Financial Investigations department from the position of the deputy head of the KGB directorate for Brest region. There was nothing unusual that the KGB man became the head of financial police. The chairman of the State Control Committee Anatol Tozik is also the “former” KGB man. He was actively and successfully introducing KGB methods (in the best sense of the word) in his new state structure, so he invited his colleague to become the head of the Financial Investigations Department.

When A. Tozik left for China as an ambassador, and the FID was headed by Zyanon Lomats after 6 months of anarchy, the situation changed essentially. The relations with the new chairman of the committee, who had little liking for chekists, and their relations get off on the wrong foot from the start. And in a month, in November 20086, by a decree of the president, he was dismissed from the position, and sent at the disposal of the chairman of the State Control Committee. After that he was discharged from the bodies of financial investigation.

After the director of the FID SCC was dismissed, all his team was discharged one by one too: the deputy director, the head of the investigation department, investigators, authorised operatives and so on. Simultaneously it became known that the General Prosecutor’s office started to gather incriminating about the former FID SCC director. Rumour said A. Hramovich would be discharged any moment. But he was dischanged, and nothing more. However, the General Prosecutor’s office has set the collected materials moving, and rather successfully.

The press-service of the Prosecutor General Office couldn’t confirm or refute reports about the arrest of Anatol Hramovich. Everybody who could clarify the situation is attending the panel and is unavailable for comments. However, some details have been found out even without official explanations.

The grounds for arrest of the former FID head were charging him under one of the most serious articles of the Criminal Code of Belarus, Article 285 Part 3 (founding of a criminal organisation or participation in a criminal organisation of an official using his authority). This article envisages up to 15 years of imprisonment.

The charges are related to the period of A. Hramovich’s activities when he was a deputy head of the State Security (KGB) directorate in Brest region. So the opened case is rather a spot on the “clear face” of the State Control Committee, not the KGB. But it is not excluded that investigators would dig up something on A. Hramovich concerning the period when he was the FID SCC director.

According to the preliminary reports, the case is the continuation of a number of high-profile investigations by the Prosecutor General office on the fact of activities of a criminal organisation in the Western parts of Belarusian state border. The organisation included a number of criminal groups of different specializations. They include false transit, avoidance of tax fees when importing different goods to Belarus, giving and taking large bribes and so on.

Unfortunately, it is not clear so far what kind of participation of A. Hramovich in criminal organisation is was. It is only known that the charges he has been presented concern the case which is tried by one of the courts, with 23 accused officers of the customs office, KGB and Interior Ministry, as well as businessmen. A. Hramovich is a witness in the case, but separate proceedings have been opened against him and a number of other persons. The case has been opened on those particular materials studied by the General Prosecutor’s Office two years ago. But then there were not enough evidence for charging him. And now it has been found.