On March 15, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. A banker and a director of an enterprise from Senno district "borrowed" over Br830 million from a bank, reported Vladimir Belous, Senior Assistant Prosecutor of Vitebsk region, to a BELTA correspondent. During 2008-2009, an employee of the Senno branch of a systemically important bank of Belarus and the director of a local private enterprise, using computer technology and bank plastic cards illegally issued to employees of this enterprise, altered computer information in the bank's database and stole over Br830 million. In court, both defendants claimed that they did not steal money from the bank, but simply "borrowed" it. For embezzlement committed on a particularly large scale, the men were sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property and deprivation of the right to hold administrative, economic, and organizational-managerial positions for 5 years after their release from the correctional colony. The court also granted the bank's claim for recovery from the defendants of over Br1 billion – the amount of damage caused and payment for the illegal use of other people's money. "The crime, of which the now former officials were accused, stands out from other embezzlements," noted Vladimir Belous. "For many years, operational reports of internal affairs bodies have not featured facts of stealing money from bank vaults by breaking into them or armed robbery of cash collectors. This case showed that it is possible to steal money from a bank in a more 'sophisticated' way." He also added that the affected bank had taken the necessary measures to prevent similar incidents. -0-

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