Lukashenka Gets Caught On Large-Scale Bribery

The appropriateness and legality of such gifts are clearly spelled out in the Criminal Code.

The industrial giants of Belarus have staged a propaganda challenge: following the Minsk Automobile Plant, which “presented” the ruler with a bus, MTZ has become generous, writes Solidarity.

In honor of his reappointment to the post, CEO of the enterprise Siarhei Avramenka signed an order to allocate a BELARUS 1222.3 tractor as a gift to Aliaksandr Lukashenka. The “donation” process was captured in a pompous video, for which the plant’s workers were lined up with official symbols at the checkpoint.

People are already joking on social networks about how BelAZ and Gomselmash will respond to the “gift” flash mob. But seriously, the prosecutor’s office should be interested in such gifts.

After all, the appropriateness and legality of such gifts is clearly spelled out in the Criminal Code. By the way, prosecutors regularly remind us of all of this. To avoid unfounded statements, we will quote the article by the senior assistant prosecutor of the Horki district, Darya Chugulkova, which was published by many district newspapers.

Managers, especially those in the civil service, are not allowed to accept any gifts at all. This is enshrined in Article 17 of the Law “On Combating Corruption”.

The assistant prosecutor clarifies that, as an exception, a manager can be given souvenirs that are presented “during protocol and other official events.” But there is a limitation here too: the price of such a souvenir is currently limited to 20 base fees. More expensive souvenirs are necessarily transferred to the state.

Assistant prosecutor Darya Chugulkova clearly explains that “such gifts may involve the desire of the donor to see some kind of response from the recipient in the future”. And this is “exactly the same “patronage in office” that is mentioned in Article 430 of the Criminal Code.”

What conclusions can be drawn from all this? Firstly, it seems that the management of two Minsk industrial flagships gave Lukashenka a large bribe. After all, it is difficult to call a bus or a tractor a cheap souvenir.

And there is hardly any doubt about the interest of both managers in the ruler’s favor towards them and the enterprises they headed.

And if someone decides to do this, then let them read one of the columns of the official BELTA agency, which directly states thanks to whom MAZ, MTZ, Motovelo and other industrial Soviet heritage were “revived” and continue to work.

Secondly, in both cases the gift-giving process took place with particular cynicism. It is hard to believe that both managers were not aware of the existence of Article 17 of the Law “On Combating Corruption.”

And nothing stopped them from giving something that the recipient cannot legally accept. Just as nothing forced Lukashenka to remind the generous directors of the need to comply with the law he signed.

And this playful liberties in handling the laws tells us that prosecutors are unlikely to be interested in the fact that someone publicly and pompously ignores their insistent recommendations.

And why would they show zeal after they unanimously swallowed the proposal in the autumn of 2020 to live in a “sometimes the law is unnecessary” mode.

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