How Shell Companies Increase Figures In Belarusians' Utility Bills

Belsat investigation.

The officials of the state production association Belenergo are preparing to move to a new office building in the center of Minsk. The State Control Committee has already showed interest in the estimate cost of $ 9 million that Belenergo allegedly needs for changing the headquarters. So to say, when it comes to modernization of the heating network, there is a shortage of funds.

2019 may be as rich in corruption scandals in the field of energy, as 2018 was. Last year, following the inspections, the Minister of Energy, the director of Belenergo and a number of other officials were either dismissed or detained.

It was our television channel that began the investigation of mismanagement and croneyism in the energy industry a year and a half ago. After a series of programs, some of the leaders mentioned in them aggressively started cleansing their image through the courts.

Meanwhile, other schemes have emerged for pumping money out of Belenergo through chains of private companies, which were actually given the status of monopolies.

As part of the investigation into the activities of shell companies, which affect the figures in the utility bills of Belarusians, we came to search for answers in the offices of the director of the Belkotelochistka and the general director of Belenergo.

To find out how they answered inconvenient questions and how money is “laundered” in the energy sector – see the Belsat investigation plot.