Фото: Генпрокуратура
The Cherven District Court has handed down a guilty verdict against the former director of one of the enterprises in the petrochemical industry, his son-in-law and two other individuals. They were found guilty of embezzlement through abuse of official powers.
According to the prosecution, the former director of the enterprise and his son-in-law developed a scheme no later than December 2021 to embezzle the enterprise’s funds under the guise of paying for agricultural machinery and equipment for an agricultural enterprise under their supervision.
The director was supposed to ensure that the goods were purchased at a knowingly inflated price. His son-in-law, in turn, reached an agreement with a supplier who agreed to arrange systematic deliveries of machinery and equipment through the foreign and Belarusian commercial organizations he represented. The price of the deliveries included the amount to be embezzled, which was communicated to him in advance.
The fourth defendant, an individual entrepreneur, was responsible for transferring the money out, cashing it and distributing it among the participants in the scheme.
According to the prosecution, they ultimately embezzled 660,000 euros.
At the court hearing, three of the defendants pleaded not guilty and did not compensate for the damage, while one defendant fully admitted guilt and took measures to compensate for the damage.
The former director of the enterprise was sentenced to 10 years in prison, his son-in-law to nine years, and the individual entrepreneur to seven years. Each of the defendants was also sentenced to an additional fine of 1,000 base units (45,000 rubles). The fourth defendant, under Article 70 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, was sentenced to five years of restricted freedom with placement in an open-type correctional institution, as well as a fine of 500 base units (22,500 rubles). All the defendants were barred for five years from holding positions involving organizational and administrative, administrative and economic duties and performing legally significant actions.
The verdict has not yet entered into force and may be appealed or challenged through the appellate procedure.