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Former deputy head of Minsk City Executive Committee denies guilt on opening day of bribery trial

A former first deputy head of the Minsk City Executive Committee denied on the opening day of his trial that he had received a bribe from a Czech company.

Ihar Vasilyew's trial began in the Minsk Regional Court on December 20.

The ex-official refused to make any other statements at the initial stage of the proceedings.

Mr. Vasilyew, who has been in custody since July 6, is answering a charge of abuse of power and bribery under Part Three of the Criminal Code’s Article 430.

According to the Committee for State Security (KGB), he tried to extort a bribe from representatives of a Czech company that planned to invest more than $30 million in a project in Minsk.

Mr. Vasilyew told investigators following his arrest that a certain Ananyew, whom he described as a representative of the Czech company, was in his office on July 6. The man allegedly said that he had a brought a souvenir from the Czech company in a black case. Mr. Vasilyew denied having seen the man put the case into a cabinet in his office.

KGB officers later found $250,000 in cash in the case. "I don't know what the money is. I did not accept any money from Ananyew," Mr. Vasilyew said during the investigation stage. //BelaPAN