Harry Pahanyajla: “Lukashenka is the top corruptionist of the country” :: Charter'97 :: News

On Monday a law “On Fight against Corruption” came into force in Belarus. Independent experts note that this law could become another law that wouldn’t have effect in reality. In the new law the list of “subjects of corrupt practises”, or persons who could violate the law on corruption, has been expanded. Independent experts note that this law could become another law which won’t act in reality, like some norms of the Criminal code and Code of penal procedure which include penalties on corruption as well. Besides, as said by some lawyers, sources of corruption could be found in top echelons of power in Belarus.

The new law lists members of the “council of republic” and local deputies, citizens registered as candidates for deputies and for presidency; persons taking organizational/management positions in NGOs, and many others are named a s potential corruptionists.

A well-known human rights activist Harry Pahanyajla in an interview to Deutsche Welle stated that omnipotence of officials in Belarus does not contribute and would not contribute to corruption level dwindling.

“Belarus is characterized by the peculiarity that officials have supremacy in all systems of power. Forming and spending budget, everything is in power of officials. More than 80% of enterprises are owned by the state. That is why there is officials’ temptation to steer financial flows is great. Meanwhile enforcement functions of the state are extremely low. The paradox of Belarus is also in the fact that Lukashenka is the top corruptionist of the country. Let’s take his presidential fund. Who controls it? Nobody! Neither the “chamber of representatives”, nor the “council of republic”, nor Finance Ministry with its control bodies, nor State Control committee are in charge. There is no such body that could control the presidential foundation which is equalled to the state budget, as they say. Today nobody except the president himself could say how much money this fund has, what are the sources of money and where it is spent”.

The lawyer underlines that Lukashenka himself has created a corrupted state machine (the same concerns deputies) and he is pretending to fight this vice at the same time”.

“The parliament which approves the budget of the country in 20 minutes, and does not control expenses of the budget in any way, is the fruit of the same corrupt bureaucracy created by mister Lukashenka. He took the power to punish and to pardon. It means he defined the circle of those on which he personally would give instructions, whether to bring that person to account or to acquit, though according he Constitution all citizens are equal. The mystery of adopting anti-corruption laws all the time while corruption continues to erode the system lies in this system of power and in the attitude towards officials. And there is no real fight on corruption actually”.