On January 25, the well-known blogger and businessman, founder of group of companies “Sarmat-STI” Alyaksandr Knyrovich was detained on suspicion of giving bribes to officials and put to the KGB jail. Also the State Security Committee (KGB) had questions about his contracts with Russian suppliers.
Today it has become known that the investigators have laid the accusation under only one article of those the KGB listed before in their report “Public officials’ illegal activities in the housing sector”.
“Knyrovich has been charged under Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code,” KGB Spokesman Dzmitry Pabyarzhyn told Euroradio.
According to investigators, Knyrovich evaded taxes on a large scale. The businessman may face up to 7 years’ imprisonment. The court may also confiscate his property, as well as deprive him of the right to engage in certain activities.
Alyaksandr Knyrovich is known as a business mentor and a business angel for startups, who has full information about innovative technologies and investments in Belarus.
In an interview with Belsat TV Knyrovich evaluated the cost of residence in Sharshuny, where, according to local residents, the head of state comes to rest and which may be his 17th residence.
In late January, Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka made a harsh comment on the situation of Knyrovich: “There will be no compassion for crooks! A thief should be in prison!” and promised that everyone involved in the shady case would be jailed.
The arrest of the businessman is politically motivated, several independent experts and analysts say. In his program “Conclusions with Knyrovich” on the “BelBusinessChannel” Mr Knyrovich sharply spoke about Belarus’s economic situation, which might not have been liked by Lukashenka and his associates.
