Minsk official suspected of embezzlement

A deputy head of Minsk's housing department may face 10 years in prison.

A criminal case was opened by the organised crime department of the Radahskovichy district police department, where the suspect lives. The officials is charged with violating part 3 of article 210 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (embezzlement on a large scale and abuse of power). It is one of the strictest criminal articles carrying a punishment of up to 10 years in prison, Yezhednevnik reports.

According to preliminary results of the investigation, the suspect, a deputy head of the housing department at the directorate of road and bridge construction and landscaping of the Minsk city executive committee, found a job for his wife in the housing department in 1999 and received her wages for 15 years.

The organised crime department says the suspect's wife didn't go to work. According to preliminary calculations of investigators, the suspect stole more than 48 million rubles. The figure is not final. The sum will be calculated again and indexed.

The materials of the criminal case were sent to the Investigation Committee for an inquiry.