Фото: СК
A Belarusian company paid more than 1.1 million roubles for equipment supplied from China, but the money did not reach the recipient. A criminal case has been opened against an “unidentified individual” who devised a fraudulent sanctions evasion scheme, the Minsk regional prosecutor’s office reported.
According to the case materials, the suspect corresponded online with both the Belarusian and Chinese companies. He convinced the Belarusian side that he was a representative of the Chinese firm, while telling the Chinese side that he represented the Belarusian company.
He then persuaded both parties that, due to sanctions, they could not settle payments directly for industrial equipment components supplied from China. The suspect proposed a payment scheme through foreign entities not subject to sanctions. To this end, additional trilateral agreements were signed to change the parties in the obligations under previously concluded contracts.
As a result, the Chinese company transferred the right to receive payment for the equipment supplied to Belarus to companies registered in Turkey and Kyrgyzstan and controlled by the suspect. The Belarusian company transferred more than 1.1 million roubles to the accounts of these entities, while the Chinese company received nothing.
The Minsk regional prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal case on charges of large-scale fraud (Part 4 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code). The case has been forwarded to the Investigative Committee for investigation.