ZROBIM architects co-founder Andrei Makouski answered subscribers’ questions after his release from pretrial detention, speaking about the investigation, the company’s work and his future plans. According to him, the assessed damages have already been repaid, and he admitted guilt and expressed remorse.
“Hello, friends! I’m glad we can meet like this so often. You left me a lot of comments. It’s difficult to reply to everyone at once, so I decided to record this video. What happened, what is happening now, and what comes next? At the moment, we have repaid the damages that were assessed against us. We have, of course, admitted our guilt. We have expressed remorse.
And I would advise anyone who wants to evade paying taxes, for example, by underpaying somewhere or earning more in the short term… Believe me, it does not outweigh the risks and the problems that may arise later. So, based on my own experience, I would strongly advise against trying to deceive the system or find ways around it. It’s better to sleep peacefully and work within the law. I sincerely wanted to tell you that.”, he said.
According to Makouski, while he was behind bars, ZROBIM architects continued operating, reduced its expenses and completed a number of new architectural projects.
“During the period when I was away, ZROBIM worked surprisingly productively. The company became more active, reduced its costs and continued to grow and develop. We completed quite a lot of good architectural projects. If you’ve missed our content a little, there will now be plenty of it. Around 10 shoots have already been planned. We want to show you projects that are under construction in a wide variety of locations. We will photograph some of them and submit them to magazines and competitions. In short, we’ll keep doing what we’ve always done.”, he said.
Speaking about his personal plans, he said that he intends to remain in the country.
“I think I made my choice a long time ago. I want to stay in Belarus. There are opportunities here for me and for our company to realize our potential. I love this country, and I want to grow and develop here. At this point, I can promise that you’ll be seeing us more often. Probably every day at first. Stay with us, and see you again soon.”, he said.
On April 9 and 10, security forces visited the offices of ZROBIM architects. Employees who were present at the studio were detained. A Telegram channel affiliated with the security forces linked the detentions to a social media post by Makouski, in which he described receiving a letter from state authorities requiring the company to hire an official responsible for ideology. It was later reported that the authorities’ claims against ZROBIM architects were related to tax evasion.
“It wasn’t entirely cash-in-hand salaries. We had a bonus component that was paid to employees in addition to their regular pay, and taxes were not paid on that part. I fully repent and admit my guilt. Also, part of the contract amounts was not fully reflected in the documentation, and taxes were not paid on those sums either.
I sincerely understand that in pursuit of higher earnings, you want to maintain or increase your income. But you never think about the other side of the issue. We immediately cooperated with the investigation. I confessed right away and voluntarily turned myself in because I understood that what I had done was wrong.”, Makouski said in a report by state propagandists.
Makouski’s wife confirmed that he was being held in pretrial detention. It became known the previous day that he had been released.