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Former chief of Klimavichy police department: I was framed

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Former chief of Klimavichy police department: I was framed

A law enforcement officer claims the criminal case against him was trumped up.

Aliaksandr Artsiomenka, a former chief of the police department in Klimavichy who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for taking a large bribery, says the criminal case against him was fabricated and his complaints are ignored by all agencies concerned, Belorusskie Novosti reports.

The intergarrison military court of Barysau sentenced former chief of the Klimavichy police department Artsiomenka to 11 years in a medium security correctional facility. A senior detective of the Klimavichy police department and senior investigator of the Klimavichy directorate of the Mahilou Region Investigative Committee received 8 and 9 years of imprisonment respectively.

The trial, which was held behind closed doors, concluded that their guilt of accepting a bribe of $500,000 from a Russian businessman was proved in full.

Details about the trial appeared later: the press service of Russia's Investigative Committee of the Bryansk region said in June 2014 that investigation in relation to a resident of the town of Klintsy, who “will stand trial on charges with inciting Belarusian law enforcement officers to abuse of power,” was completed.

Vladimir Rukhlov, 36, is charged with inciting to abuse of power causing grave consequences and of the illegal purchase, transfer, possession and transportation of explosives.

According to investigators, Rukhlov wanted to remove his competitors in the real estate business. He applied for help to the chief of the Klimavichy police department, who involved two subordinates officers in the criminal group.

According to the press release, “Acting in coordination with other accomplices, Rukhlov used the pretext of a real estate deal to lure the competitor to the neighbouring state in the town of Klimavichy. The latter arrived in a personal car with his relative on December 17, 2011. A packet, earlier received from Ruklhov containing explosives (octogen and trotyl) and a plant substance visually resembling marijuana, was planted in their car.”

Belarusian policemen “successfully” found the criminal kit, detained the Russian citizens, took them to the temporary detention facility and began to demand money, which is known as “milking “ in criminal slang. The men had no other choice but to pay for their freedom.

According to the evidence in the criminal case, the ransom was 7.5 million Russian rubles. However, the extortion did not end after the men paid the money.

Another act of handing in 500,000 Russian rubles took place in Mahilou under control of investigators of the Belarusian police on January 18, 2012. The criminals were detained and later convicted.

“In accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus and the rules of the Supreme Court, I was convicted illegally. The fabricated materials of the criminal case were used to deliver the illegal judgement,” Artsiomenka wrote in his appeal to the media.

According to the convicted police officer, the court dismissed all his motions for no reasons. “The judge (Liubavitski) said: evidence by Artsiomenka cannot be taken into account, because he tries to avoid responsibility. But I can prove my evidence from several independent sources and provide necessary documents. That's how human rights, the Constitution of Belarus and the Criminal Procedure Code are respected at closed trials,” the former police chief wrote.

Arstiomenka claims he did not receive any money from a Russian citizen and says he was just framed. Nevertheless, the court says Artsiomenka spent the bribe to buy property to his parents for a sum of 600 million Belarusian rubles. This is a lie, the former police officer notes.

He says he has been seeking the check of his evidence and arguments for two years, but he receives answers that all legal requirements were met.

“Being a police officer for 15 years, I can prove that I am innocent and that the crimes were committed by the Investigation Committee officers, but my complaints are simply ignored,” the appeal reads.

“Do you want to know why? I can answer: a number of high-ranking law enforcement officers will be fired and more than 10 officers of the Investigation Committee and the Economic Crime Department, who fabricated the criminal case, will be put in the dock,” Artsiomenka writes, but does not give the names.

The court received wrongful financial information, Lidzia Artsiomenka, the convict's mother, says. “His appeals are being ignored. They write everything was legal and send them back,” she says. She hopes officials will “begin to read” the details of the criminal case after her son's appeal to the media.

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