Stefanovich's appeal dismissed by Minsk City Court

• 14.02.2012, 11:31

The Minsk City Court dismissed a cassation appeal by Valyantsin Stefanovich on February 13.

The decision was made by the panel of the Minsk City Court, Stafanovich told BelaPAN.

As reported earlier, the Partyzanski district court of Minsk chaired by judge Veranika Abramovich ruled on December 16, 2011, to satisfy the claim of the Partyzanski district tax office to collect 54.3mn rubles of tax and 2.7mn rubles of penalty from Stefanovich.

The court panel did not take into account Stefanovich's explanations that the money on his account in a Lithuanian bank was not his income and thus cannot be subject to tax. The money on the account was spent on human rights activity or passed to third persons, Stafanovich says.

He also mentioned in his appeal to the Minsk City Court that an official document from the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice says the information about flow of funds on Stefanovich's account was incorrect.

During the previous trial, Stafanovich filed a motion asking the court to maka a written request to the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice to obtain explanations which part of the information about his bank account was incorrect. Representatives of the tax office had no objections. “But the court dismissed the motions saying it would estimate the document during pronouncing a verdict in the case. But the document was not evaluated in the court decision,” the human rights activist noted in the appeal.

Despite his arguments, the Minsk City Court dismissed the appeal. “I have to pay the state 57mn rubles. I do not know what I will do with the court decision. Maybe I will file a cassation appeal. I am ready to appeal against the decision to fine me even to the Supreme Court. I then will see if I should appeal to the UN Human Rights Committee,” Stefanovich said.