Three energy officials accused of disrupting “modernisation”

The Investigation Committee of Belarus has completed investigation of the case over corruption at the Biaroza regional power station.

A former head of the department on logistics and technical infrastructure at the electric power association Belenergo, Houzich, who chaired tender committees to buy equipment for the power station, and former director of Belenergosnabkomplekt company Zhukau are charged with abuse of office (part 3 of article 426 of the Criminal Code).

A criminal case involving former first deputy minister of energy Eduard Taupianets (part 3 of article 426 of the Criminal Code) was severed. The investigation was suspended until recovery of Taupinets, Sovetskaya Belorussia newsaper writes.

The officials are charged with abuse of office for personal interests during sealed-bid auctions to buy equipment for the Biaroza regional power plant held by Belenergosnabkomplekt company that inflicted serious damage to state and public interests and caused grave consequences, such as:

– breaking the deadline of implementation of the state comprehensive programme on modernisation of main production facilities in the Belarusian energy system, promotion of energy saving and increasing the share of own energy resources for a period until 2011;

– failure to implement the required level of energy independence and failure to meet the energy needs at the cost of own energy sources, modernisation and raising efficiency of the use of basic production assets of the energy sector;

– misuse of the funds of the Ministry of Energy allocated for paying loans for the purchased equipment and lack of return on investments due to failure of putting steam turbine equipment at the Biaroza power station into operation.

According to the Investigation Committee the cause of the crime was failure to organise proper auctions in Belenergosnabkomplekt company and lack of control over the auctions that resulted in creating favourable conditions for one of the participants in tenders, BelaPAN news agency reports.