Head Of Belarusian Auditing Committee Says Belgazprombank's Top Managers Detained In Probe

Numerous leading officials of the Minsk-based Belgazprombank company, including deputy managers, have been detained as part of an ongoing probe into the financial institution, Ivan Tertel, the head of the Belarusian State Control Committee, said Friday

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2020) Numerous leading officials of the Minsk-based Belgazprombank company, including deputy managers, have been detained as part of an ongoing probe into the financial institution, Ivan Tertel, the head of the Belarusian State Control Committee, said Friday.

"There are top managers, including deputy heads of the bank, managers of varying positions, as well as representatives of the commercial structures. In general, former employees of the bank," Tertel was quoted as saying by the Belarusian state news agency Belta.

According to Tertel, 15 people have so far been detained in the ongoing case, the agency reported. Investigators have so far seized more than $4 million in cash and more than $500,000 in securities, Tertel said.

"Yesterday, for example, during the investigative measures we seized more than $4 million and discovered and seized securities worth more than $500,000," Tertel said, adding that investigators had also found digital passes that allowed the users to manage foreign bank accounts, as reported by the agency.

Opposition candidate in the 2020 presidential election Viktor Babariko headed Belgazprombank for 20 years, and Tertel said that there was evidence of Babariko's involvement in criminal activity.

"I can't imagine that what was going on in the bank by the assistants could not be known by the manager. I can confirm that at present, we have convincing evidence of his [Babariko's] involvement in this illegal activity," Tertel said as quoted by the agency.

Current Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said earlier on Friday that he intends to invite the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to investigate the alleged fraudulent activity committed by Belgazprombank. Babariko has said that the investigation into the financial institution is motivated by political interests.

Russia's Gazprom energy giant and Gazprombank each own a 49.8 percent share of Belgazprombank, which operates in Belarus. The Belarusian government has a 0.097 percent stake in the bank, which has been operating since 1990.