Lukashenko explains recent crackdown on certain prominent businessmen in Belarus

<p> MINSK, Jul 30 - PrimePress. During a meeting with senior local governments officials to discuss topical social and political issues on July 30, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko presented his account of the reasons behind recent arrests of certain prominent businessmen, the president’s press-service reports. </p> <p>   </p> <p> According to Lukashenko, some commercial organizations have harnessed the tactics of NGOs. In his words, law enforcers have identified an entire network of large and small firms that financed anti-government actions at the expense of the national budget. "The state that they have ripped off through illegal schemes of enrichment and tax evasion, including through salaries in envelopes,” he said. By salaries in envelopes Lukashenko meant wages paid unofficially in addition to the official wage. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “We are looking for pennies to feed people, meanwhile huge sums are whisked away in tax evasion. Therefore, the tax inspectorate, the government, the State Control Committee, law enforcement agencies, but above all you, local governments, need to strangle this hydra. And then we will see an inflow of taxes,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, the heads of these enterprises actively participated in unsanctioned protests and produced protest symbols, paid people for taking to the streets, called for illegal actions, such as damaging law enforcement vehicles. “Most importantly, all these ‘regime fighters' are ordinary criminals. They all were charged with criminal offenses: from tax evasion to large-scale fraud,” Lukashenko said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> To illustrate his point, he cited operational information about the amount of damage caused to the state: Beltyazhmash (real estate leasing) - Br6.5 million ($2.59m), TUT BY MEDIA (ITC, mass media) - Br2.5 million ($995,800), Modum Our Cosmetics (Belarus’ largest cosmetics manufacturer) - Br650,000 ($258,900), 21vek (the country’s largest internet retailer) - at least Br850,000 ($338,580). “All in all, within just a year, from August 2020 to June 2021, these and other private companies stole about Br30 million from the state,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In his words, it was established that the pensioners’ marches were paid for: “the Yurkevich spouses (Yurkas and Door Leader companies) registered their employees as individual entrepreneurs. The money saved on taxes was used to teach pensioners to work with destructive channels and to buy tablets for them for these purposes.” </p> <p>   </p> <p> According to Lukashenko, among those involved in financing the protest activities was the owner of PandaDoc, Mikita Mikado, who lives in Los Angeles, USA. Lukashenko claims Mikita Mikado attempted to bribe Minsk Police so that they give up their police badges as a sign of disagreement with the regime. </p> <p>   </p> <p> According to Lukashenko, Onishchenko, director of Beltyazhmash Company, had some 23kg of gold, 15kg of silver and $1.5 million in his depository. More than $115,000, €7,000, Br25,000 ($9,960) were found during the search of the apartment owned by the Modum - Our Cosmetics executives Petrenko, Labkovich, and Skuratovich. </p> <p>   </p> <p> According to Lukashenko, the company, which owns the Online Hypermarket 21 Vek trademark, failed to pay Br850,000 in taxes over the past five years and transferred almost $3 million in dividends to its owners in Cyprus. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “We must close this loophole. The National Bank and the government need to take a close look at our IT companies. They opened subsidiaries here and transferred money, mainly, in cryptocurrency,” the president said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “We should devise definitive rules that would regulate their activities. This should be done by the end of the year,” said Lukashenko. End </p>

2021-07-31

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