Theft by abuse of official powers is the most common corruption crime in the Vitebsk region.
21/09/20120 views
On September 21, Minsk /BELTA correspondent/. In the first half of 2012, 232 corruption-related crimes were detected in the Vitebsk region, which is 10% more than in the same period last year, the Prosecutor General's Office of Belarus informed a BELTA correspondent.
Within the structure of corruption-related crimes, embezzlement through abuse of official powers accounted for 44% (101 crimes), bribery - 36% (83), abuse of official powers - 18% (41).
The largest number of corruption-related crimes were registered in the industries of manufacturing - 45 crimes, agriculture and construction - 28 each, healthcare, provision of social services - 21.
This year, a number of criminal cases have been initiated against medical workers who received bribes from citizens for the unjustified issuance of sick leave certificates. In Vitebsk, criminal cases are being investigated against officials of diagnostic stations accused of receiving material remuneration from citizens for favourable resolution of issues concerning the state technical inspection of motor vehicles.
The Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office has forwarded to court a criminal case against the former head of a agricultural enterprise, who is accused of receiving bribes totalling approximately Br6 million for favourable resolution of issues concerning the acceptance and payment of work performed by a contractor at facilities owned by the agricultural enterprise.
The Prosecutor General's Office noted that law enforcement agencies of the Vitebsk region have intensified their efforts to combat embezzlement committed through abuse of official powers. In May, in Orsha, a criminal case was initiated against the manager of an association of co-owned properties, who, abusing his official powers regarding the use of funds in the settlement account of the said association, embezzled Br13 million. Subsequently, other instances of similar embezzlement were established, totalling over Br100 million.
The court of Polotsk District and Polotsk passed a sentence against a former accountant of an educational institution, who, being vested with cashier functions, entered false information into payroll statements and embezzled over Br55 million.
The investigation into a criminal case against the chief engineer of the repair and construction department of a Vitebsk enterprise has been completed. The engineer, abusing his official powers, systematically issued unlawful instructions to his subordinates for several years, directing them to transfer construction materials belonging to the enterprise, with a total value exceeding Br40 million, to him. The construction materials were used by him for the construction of his own dacha. Furthermore, he systematically, without payment, engaged enterprise employees during their working hours to deliver construction materials and carry out construction and installation works at the dacha under construction, where he himself was present during the workday.
This year, the Prosecutor General's Office continued, numerous instances have been identified in various districts of the region where officials in the forestry sector deliberately drew up false administrative offense reports against citizens who had not committed them.
Law enforcement agencies are taking measures aimed at recovering damages caused by guilty parties and restoring the violated rights and legitimate interests of citizens. In the first half of 2012, over Br5.5 billion in damages caused by corruption-related crimes were compensated.
To prevent, detect, and suppress corruption-related offenses, the prosecutor's offices of the Vitebsk region have submitted 73 proposals, issued 12 directives, lodged 47 protests, and officially warned 32 officials this year. At the request of prosecutors, 82 individuals who violated anti-corruption legislation have been brought to disciplinary, administrative, and material liability. -0-
BELTA