KGB Officer Accused of Corruption Became General

What is the reason for the career growth of Aliaksandr Tserakhau, the head of the KGB department in the Hrodna region?

High patronage and ties allowed the head of the KGB administration for the Hrodna region, Aliaksandr Tserakhau, to make the way from Lieutenant-Colonel to Major General, popular Belarusian blogger d-zholik writes.

Although on the eve of promotion initiated by Aliaksandr Lukashenka he was about to be dismissed, and even earlier officers of several operational divisions of the MVD officially recorded facts of corruption.

The newly-bred KGB general Aliaksandr Tserakhau should be grateful to the veteran of the Belarusian state security Ivan Korzh for the patronage. He served in leading positions in the state security bodies of the Homel region under whose leadership. Thanks to him, Tserakhau quickly made a career and remained at large thanks to him.

Formation of Tserakhau as a Chekist took place in the Zhlobin city department of the KGB of the Homel region; he ran the largest strategic enterprise of the country - the Belarusian Metallurgic Plant.

He headed the territorial department of the KGB, when he was deputy chief and later head of the KGB department for the Homel region. Under patronage of Ivan Korzh Tserakhau was appointed as the chief of the economic security department.

However, in 2009 a sound corruption scandal broke out in law enforcement bodies of the Homel region. It became known as "hunting case".

The former head of the Department for Combating Corruption and Economic Crimes of the Department of Homel UVD of the Homel Regional Executive Committee Aliaksandr Malayeu made an open video address to Lukashenka. He informed in details about facts of corruption and the outrage committed by General Korzh, the head of the 9th Department of the KGB of the future General Tserakhau (watch from 17:42) and subordinate operational staff of the regional administration and Zhlobin KGB Department.

A large group of operational officers of the central apparatus of the MVD, the UVD and the ROVD built an evidence base against the leadership of the regional KGB administration. The investigation was personally supervised by First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Anatol Kuleshou, who later headed the Interior Ministry.

As a result of the scandal, due to which both high-ranking Chekists almost found themselves on prison beds, General Korzh was horizontally transferred to the post of the head of the KGB department for the Hrodna region, and Tserakhau took promotion to the central apparatus of the KGB.

At the end of 2012 he was appointed as the head of the main department of economic security of the State Security Committee.

In May 2014 Lieutenant-Colonel Tserakhau had another promotion: Lukashenka's decree appointed him as the head of the KGB department for the Hrodna region and replaced his "godfather" Ivan Korzh.

Last Thursday Lukashenka granted him General's shoulder straps. It took only three years for the Lieutenant-Colonel of the KGB to make a career.

However, Uladzimir Kalach, current head of the KGB Department for Minsk and the Minsk region, became General in two years.

At the moment the all-time record now belongs to the Prosecutor General Aliaksandr Kanyuk. Within eighteen months he built the career from the Colonel to Lieutenant General and Colonel General within four years.

To top it all off, there were serious violations that threatened the chief with dismissal from his position for discrediting reasons during approval of documents for his promotion. However, the violations were concealed on instructions of the first deputy chairman of the KGB of Belarus Major General Ihar Syarheenka who had earlier headed the UKGB for the Hrodna region. False information was presented to the controlling bodies to prevent checks in the entrusted department.