11 Ashmiany Customs Officials’ High-Profile Trial Started In Minsk

According to the KGB information, the customs officials took bribes of $ 250 to 3000 for letting cars pass without inspection.

On November 18, the Partyzanski District Court of Minsk started consideration of the criminal case against the Ashmiany customs officers, who organized a large-scale scheme of custom duty evasion at the checkpoint of Kamenny Loh, Radio Svaboda informs.

There are11 people in the dock, five of them are in custody, and the rest are under house arrest.

Their actions are qualified under Part 3 of Art. 430 of the Criminal Code (bribery in the especially large size). They face 5 to 15 years in prison.

A well-known local historian and activist, father of 3 children Ales Yurkoit, who used to study Astravets region in his spare time, is among the accused.

Aliaksandr Lapeika, Aliaksandr Shvinta, Siarhei Chepin, Vadzim Kazimirchuk, Dzmitry Kurnevich, Viktar Strapko, Yauhen Babrovich, Henadz Chasnoit, Tadeush Vysotski, Uladzimir Nahorski are charged together with him.

It is to be recalled that on April 3, 2015, Lukashenka told about the detected corruption scheme in the Ashmiany customs’ activities. According to him, almost the entire personnel of the Kamenny Loh checkpoint was involved in the criminal activity. 19 people in total were detained on charges of corruption at the checkpoint.

According to the KGB information, customs officials for bribes of 250 to $ 3,000 (depending on the number of the transported cargo) carried out unchecked let-pass of large parties of various goods through the Belarusian border at the checkpoint Kamenny Loh. One the criminal group members for a monthly "salary" of $ 1,000 covered the customs officers, informing them about the place and the time of the next State Customs Committee inspection. The KGB also reported that more than $ 2.2 million in cash had been seized from the criminal group members.

At the end of 2015, Ashmiany customs chief Ivan Niviarkevich was sentenced to seven years in a colony with a reinforced regime, but later his punishment was lightened to six years in prison.