Investigatory Committee started working on unprecedented “professors’ case”

Three respected BNTU professors at once have become involved in a criminal case.

The scientists, one of whom has already turned 72, are accused of embezzling budget assets. At the same time even perfunctory inspection of the investigators’ claims causes shock and scientific community’s bewilderment, Ezhednevnik reports.

Criminal charges used to be brought against university professors in Belarus before, but usually these were bribes for entering a university or passing exams, or embezzlement by administrative personnel. But Belarus has not seen a case, when three respected professors, who never took high administrative positions, became involved in a criminal case. Questions arise already here, at the stage, when the essence of the charges in yet unknown.

According to the Investigatory Committee of Belarus, the tree professors of the Machines and Foundry Engineering Technology department of the Mechanics and Technology faculty of the BNTU embezzled 200 million roubles of budget assets in the period from January 2008 to December 2010 while carrying out the tasks in the framework of the “Metallurgy” state program for practical scientific research.

The Investigatory Committee has qualified the actions as committing a crime of violating part 4 of the article 210 of Belarus’ Criminal Code (embezzlement by the means of power abuse by an organized group or an especially large embezzlement). In different words, according to the investigation agencies, a criminal group of three professors formed in the BNTU, whose goal was to steal budget assets. Allegedly the head of the department 67-year old professor Davyd Kukuj, 72-year old professor Uladzimir Sobaleu and 55-year old professor Aliaksandr Chychko comprised the gang. All the three are not administrative workers, who are a lot today, but actual professors, hard-working people, who have prepared many dozens of graduate students and who have published hundreds scientific papers in Belarus as well as abroad. These people are known and respected not only in our country, but also far abroad.

Now all the three are facing up to 12 years in prison and the confiscation of property. The professors have already had their apartments searched and the inventory of their property made. This is all being done for a farfetched reason.

The professors themselves so far abstain from making comments. They have written letters to Lukashenka’s administration and other state bodies, hoping to be protected from the lawlessness done by enemies. In their addresses the professors call the situation no other than the persecution of old scientific personnel in Belarus. They are few as it is, and now the extreme ardor of law enforcer has added to that. Professor Sobaleu could have been resting in retirement for many years, but he kept working as he could, and suddenly this happens! It is not surprising that the professor had his health affected after a four hour long interrogation at the police department for economic crimes, and he will hardly be able regain it.