Viktar Babaryka charged by KGB

The KGB Investigation Department has completed the investigation of the Belgazprombank case and brought charges against its top managers, the KGB press service reports.

Former chairman of the bank's board, Viktar Babaryka, has been named "organizer of criminal activity." He is charged under two articles of the Criminal Code - part 3 of Article 430 and part 2 of Article 235 of the Criminal Code (bribetaking by an organized group on an especially large scale and "laundering" money obtained by criminal means on an especially large scale).

Deputy Chairmen of the Bank Board Syarhei Shaban, Alyaksandr Ilyasyuk, Kiryl Badzey, Dzmitry Kuzmich, as well as former First Deputy Chairman of the Board Alyaksei Zadoika and Deputy Chairman of the Board Syarhei Dabralet were charged only with taking a bribe by an organized group on an especially large scale (part 3 of Article 430 of the Criminal Code).

The founder of Aktivleasing LLC, Viktar Kabyak, is accused of bribery on a large scale (part 2 of Article 431 of the Criminal Code).

"The criminal case materials were presented to the accused and their defenders for review. All the defendants have fully pleaded guilty to the crimes they are accused of, with the exception of V. Babaryka," the KGB press service notes.

Viktar Babaryka faced problems after he said he wold run for presidency. Together with his son Eduard, he was detained on June 18, and since then they have been held in the KGB pre-trial detention center. The Babaryka case was investigated by the Financial Intelligence Department of the State Control Committee and the KGB. During the investigation of the case, the chairman of the SCC, Ivan Tsertsel, became the chairman of the KGB.

Babaryka was suspected of laundering money obtained by criminal means, tax evasion, repeated bribery or bribery on an especially large scale. As a result, the suspicion of tax evasion was lifted.

Searches were carried out in Belgazprombank, some of the employees were detained. The state appointed Nadzeya Yermakova as the head of the bank. There were several TV stories about Babaryka and the Belgazprombank case on Belarusian TV channels where investigation video of interrogations was used.

Human rights activists recognized Viktar and Eduard Babaryka as political prisoners.