‘How Many Years, Decades, Centuries Are Needed To Save Money To Buy Cottage In Drazdy?’

Belarusians demand that officials make public their income data.

The topic of expensive cottages among officials of various ranks is relevant not only in Russia, but also in Belarus. Our media have repeatedly written about expensive mansions in Drazdy, trying to find out where politicians got millions of dollars for these premises. And in late November, activists created a petition demanding to publish open and detailed information about the incomes of civil servants, just as it should be, writes kyky.org.

The authors of the petition also demand that civil servants should be checked for the ratio of their incomes and expenses for real estate, transport, clothing, jewelry, and so on. They refer to the data of the Belstat, that the average salary in Belarus is BYN 963: “So how many years, decades or centuries should you save to finally buy a cottage in Drazdy?” The authors also mention the answer of the Ministry of Taxes dated August 2016. The Ministry then said that government agencies and other organizations, providing declarations of income and property, are obliged to monitor the accuracy of information. But the authors of the petition doubt that this is truly happening.

Activists refer to Article 34 of the Constitution of Belarus: “Citizens of the Republic of Belarus are guaranteed the right to receive, store and disseminate full, reliable and timely information on the activities of state bodies, public associations, political, economic, cultural and international life, the state of the environment.”