Euronews: "Sugar Case" Starts Up In Belarus

• 29.01.2020, 9:50

The disappearance of sugar company directors has attracted attention abroad.

The directors of all four sugar plants have disappeared in Belarus over the past few days, Euronews reports. According to the report, it may be related to the investigation of corruption in this industry.

It is reported that on Friday, January 24, director of the Haradzeya plant Mikhail Kryshtapovich was on his way to rest, but the flight Minsk-Munich was turned around Polish Wroclaw. Kryshtapovich was taken off the board in Hrodna. In addition, on Saturday, the plant was searched, the office of the director was sealed.

On Monday, January 27, it turned out that on Friday Mikalai Prudnik, director of the Slutsk sugar refinery, had "gone on vacation". A number of local media report that Prudnik was taken off the same flight as Kryshtapovych. At the moment, nothing is known about his whereabouts.

Viktar Mironau, director of the Zhabinka sugar plant, has also disappeared from his workplace. Dzmitry Yahorau, who heads the plant in Skidzel, has also "left for Minsk". On Tuesday, he didn't show up for work. When asked by journalists where Dzmitry Yahorau was, the receptionists said they "couldn't say anything". On Monday, several employees of the Skidzel sugar plant were also handcuffed, allegedly on suspicion of taking bribes. The information is not confirmed by the plant.

Sources in the Belarusian media specify that the "sugar case" (as it is called by journalists) is investigated by the State Security Committee of Belarus. At the moment, law enforcement agencies do not comment on the situation.

Dzmitry Kirilau, head of the Belarusian Sugar Company, has also become a defendant in the "sugar case". Journalists tried to contact him on Monday and Tuesday, but he never showed up at work.