“Chyzh Advised To Complain About Yapryntsau To KGB”

The trial on the notorious criminal case against businessman Uladzimir Yapryntsau and his son Kazbek is taking place in the Central district court of Minsk.

Deputy General Director of the company “TMST” Aliaksandr Arabian is also in the dock. All three are

The court continued interrogation of complainant – director of the “Gastrans” company (Estonia) Andrei Rabtsevich – started yesterday. Today it became known that he had graduated the Police Academy of the Interior Ministry, and had working experience in the law-enforcement authorities of the Republic of Belarus. The complainant demands the accused should recompense to him $3 million of the damage they had caused, and also intends to get from the Yapryntsaus and Arabian $6 million more under forcible execution. The total sum in this case is $9 million.

Yesterday Rabtsevich said that he had delivered 2.8 million dollars to Kazbek Yapryntsau’s companies. According to him, he received from Yapryntsau Snr. at least 370 thousand dollars as debt repayment (the first three months by 90 thousand, and then another 100 thousand dollars).

As Rabtsevich told, Uladzimir Yapryntsau offered to take his house in Pakrouskaya Street in Minsk, the price of which was estimated at 1.2 million dollars by a real estate agency, as debt security. However, the businessman didn’t go as far as having closed the transaction.

There has started the second victim’s interrogation, who is Andrei Mikhnevich, the chief specialist in sports and fitness activities in the company Vitaliur. Mikhnevich is previously a well-known athlete, a bronze medalist of the Olympic Games of 2008 in the shot put. In 2013, he was banned for life for doping.

According to Mikhnevich, he met Kazbek Yapryntsau in 2014. They had a common friend – Dzmitry Nikulin, who had studied together with Kazbek. “He characterized him as a person moderately immoral, but who is able to keep his word,” – the victim said.

By that time Andrei Mihnevich had already left sport, he was unemployed. “It’s quite typical. The athletes, whose career is over, are not wanted, – he explained in the court. – Yapryntsau’s meant a lot to me, as I intended to meet Kazbek’s father and work for him.

The victim characterizes Yapryntsau Snr. positively. He says he used to help many athletes.

Andrei Mikhnevich had saved about 500 thousand dollars during his sports career and was willing to invest the money in business. But he did not have ideas of his own, so he decided just to give money to Yapryntsau Jr.

He brought 365 thousand Dollars in a suitcase to Triple’s office and deliver by hand to Kazbek. No loan agreement was signed, they agreed orally that the businessman would return the debt to Mikhnevich in six months. Then he again gave 75 thousand dollars.

“I trusted them completely, – he explained. – I have no idea, where the money went. It made no difference to me.”

“The concept of money is abstract for me. When I have it, it's stressful. Even now it’s my wife who is worried more, it is necessary to raise the third child,” – Mikhnevich said. (His wife is a famous athlete Natallia Mikhnevich, a silver medalist of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.)

Later Mikhnevich documented the loan agreement with Yapryntsau Jr., the total sum was 440 thousand dollars. They also agreed on the percentage for the use of funds – 2,250 in cash.

“After Kazbek’s arrest I realized that I was living in another world. I was waiting. I was hoping that would end quickly, – Mikhnevich said. – Then I was summoned to the KGB. I was shown the withdrawn loan agreement and asked if I would write a statement. I said that I had to think about that.”

Mikhnevich began to worry for his money in December 2015 (the Yapryntsaus, we remind, were arrested in August). he decided to seek Yury Chyzh’s advice, whom he had met earlier at “presidential voluntary Saturday work.”

“I did not know then that he was the initiator of all of that! Yury asked how much money I had invested, and said, “Tisk, tisk, tisk” and advised to write a statement to the KGB. So I did,” – Andrei Mikhnevich explained.

Chyzh, he said, had advised him to go to the KGB, and not the court, for the best odds of returning the money. The victim regrets that he appealed to the KGB following Chyzh’s advice. He is still confident that Yapryntsau will return his debt.