Formal charges brought against Skrebets :: Charter'97 :: News

Formal charges were brought against Sergei Skrebets, a member of the 2000-2004 House of Representatives of the Belarusian National Assembly, on May 23, eight days after his arrest.

As a source with the Brest Regional Prosecutor`s Office, the charges were brought under the same articles of the Criminal Code under which the criminal case had been opened: Part 1 of the Criminal Code`s Article 13, which penalizes preparations for an offense, and Part 2 of Article 431, which carries punishment for giving a bribe.

Investigators have gathered sufficient evidence to prove the former lawmaker`s guilt under these articles, which may result in a 5-year "restricted freedom" sentence or imprisonment for two to seven years for him, the source said.

The investigators insist that the bribe was offered for a sentence of acquittal for a 21-year-old man resident in the village of Olshany in the Stolin district, Brest region, who they say had been a member of a gang created in 2002. In April 2005, the man and three other gang members, residents of the same district, were found guilty of a murder and counts of armed robbery and sentenced to 15 to 24 years in prison. The investigators allege that a woman acquaintance approached Mr. Skrebets before the trial for assistance for remuneration in arranging an acquittal or a mild sentence. The former lawmaker allegedly established contact with the state prosecutor at the trial through a man resident in the city of Beryoza.

The investigators say that apart from the prosecuting official`s testimony, they have audio and video records of what they call a talk between Mr. Skrebets and him about the deal.

The case is expected to go to trial no earlier than July.