Lukashenka’s hockey tournament robbed
- 4.08.2010, 9:01
The Christmas International Ice Hockey Tournament for Lukashenka’s prize has been involved in a corruption story.
The scandal can cost much to the Sports and Tourism Ministry, which is directly involved in the scandal, as sources of “Ezhednevnik” inform.
At the moment economic crime fighters from the Interior Affairs Ministry are studying the facts of holding the 6th Christmas International Ice Hockey Tournament for Lukashenka’s prize, which took place in Minsk in December 2009 – January 2010.
The law-enforcing agencies are particularly interested who of the Sports Ministry officials had lobbied through participation of some “Vitamin D Communications agency” joint stock company in this tournament. According to law-enforcers of Minsk, the company has stolen a part of the funds allocated by the Sports Ministry for holding an opening and closing ceremonies of the tournament.
As “Ezhednevnik” had fund out, the preliminary investigation of the Main Directorate of the Interior Affairs of Minsk city executive committee has opened a criminal case against the director of “Vitamin D Communications agency” and her husband who is a founder of the company. According to law-enforcers, they offered a knowingly false costs sheet for organizing and holding the opening and closing ceremonies of the tournament to the Federation of Ice Hockey of Belarus association, and inflicted a damage of 75.2 million rubles to the state. A criminal case is opened against the spouses. They are suspected of committing a crime under Article 424 Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (abuse of power or official misconduct, with a grounds of partiality or lucrative interest).
But it is not the main thing. The matter is that “Vitamin D Communications agency” was founded in October 2009, that is, two months before the tournament. Theoretically and practically it could not receive such an important government contract, however it did. Moreover, there is an impression that the agency had been created specifically for Lukashenka’s tournament.