Dekulakisation returns

The prosecutor of the Vitesbk region proposed to deprive people of houses and vehicles if they cannot explain on what money they bought them.

Henadzi Dysko proposed this step to “strengthen” anti-corruption laws, Yezhednevnik reports.

He presented his idea at a round-table discussion in the prosecutor's office of the Vitebsk region. Prosecution officers, businessmen, representatives of industrial enterprises and governmental officials discussed joint efforts in fighting corruption. Participants of the event noticed the growth of corruption-related crimes in the last three years and said it would be wrong to close eyes on the problem.

According to the prosecution agency, most corruption-related crimes are exposed in industry, construction, agriculture, institutions of healthcare and education.

Henadzy Dysko, who was put on the EU visa ban list in 2011, noted that anti-corruption legislation should to be strengthened. He proposed to introduce compulsory confiscation of property of a person convicted for corruption. This measure is applied only in some cases now. The prosecutor turned attention to the fact that some people have luxurious houses and expensive cars, though officially they have low incomes. He proposes to oblige people to prove they have enough income to make expensive purchases. If they fail to prove it, their property must be confiscated by the state.

It's worth noting that the proposal runs counter to the fundamental principle of criminal procedure – the presumption of innocence, according to which one mustn't prove he is not guilty. Dekulakisation in Stalin's time was carried out on the same principle. Only the fact that one lives better than others was enough for confiscation of property.