District administrations spend $500K for new official vehicles within 3 months

Already back in July 2017, Euroradio noticed that district administrations across Belarus had started procuring many official vehicles. We found 20 tenders posted by a variety of District Executive Committees for the total amount of nearly BYN800 thousand (around $400 000) seeking to buy Geely (Kamianiec, Ivanava, Krupki, Brahin, Sienna, Dubrouna, Svislac, Pastavy and Zelva District Executive Committees). Geely is a Chinese-made car assembled in Belarus, thus considered Belarus-made. This time around, the number of tenders for official vehicles has increased further!

Pruzany District Executive Committee has decided not to spread itself too thinly and buy a Nissan Qashqai for BYN51 600.

They have six cars, head of the transport service department at the committee Ihar Yakimovich told Euroradio:

"A lot of money is required to repair and maintain one of our cars. That is why we have decided to buy a new one.”

Why a Nissan? Why not a Geely? Nissan automobiles are ‘more lasting’, the transport service department chief reckons.

Pruzany officials like Nissans. They tried to buy a Nissan Terrano in September.

Navahrudak District Executive Committee is buying a car for 26 thousand roubles. All their cars are old and need to be replaced, head of the transport service department Uladzimir Kavyl explained:

“Our cars are 9-10 years old. We have an Audi made 4 years ago. The head of the Executive Committee is using it. It is getting hard to get spares for it. That is why we need new cars.”

Navahrudak District Executive Committee officials must have forgotten that they bought a new Geely EMGRAND X7 in the summer of 2015. It would be good to know who is using that car while the head of the District Executive Committee has to use an old Audi!

Bierastavica District Executive Committee officials have decided to buy a new car for 53 thousand roubles for the committee head. Why?

"The car will replace his old vehicle that has worn out. The Regional Committee has approved the purchase and the needed sum has been allocated.”

This Committee acquired new service cars in 2014 and 2013.

As a result, official car tenders have exceeded the sum of 1 million roubels or $500 thousand of public funds spent within three months.