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Russian diplomats seek fresh meeting with Uralkali CEO

 

The Russian embassy has formally applied to the Belarusian authorities for permission for its officers to meet with Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner, Consul Igor Karyagin told BelaPAN on Tuesday.

"The application was sent through the foreign ministry to the Investigative Committee last week," he said.

Mr. Karyagin said that it would be a "routine, planned" meeting that should take place at least once in two months. Mr. Baumgertner has not asked for a meeting with Russian embassy officers, he stressed.

Vladislav Baumgertner was arrested on August 26 as he was about to fly out of Minsk after a meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich. He spent a month in the detention center of the Committee for State Security (KGB) before being released and placed under house arrest.

The Investigative Committee of Belarus said after the arrest that Mr. Baumgertner, who chaired the supervisory board of Belarusian Potash Company (BPC), was suspected of abuse of office and so were four other Russian executives who combined their duties in BPC and Uralkali.

A few days later, Belarusian authorities instituted criminal proceedings against Russian billionaire and Uralkali's top shareholder Suleiman Kerimov.

The case is linked to Uralkali's July 30 decision to de facto quit BPC, its joint trading arm with Belarusian potash giant Belaruskali. Belarusian investigators said in August that "criminal" actions by Mr. Baumgertner and other Uralkali managers had caused Belarus up to $100 million in damage. The Investigative Committee warned later that the amount of the damage could be revised upward.

Mr. Lukashenka said in October that the charge against Mr. Baumgertner had been changed from abuse of office to embezzlement.

Mr. Lukashenka warned on October 21 that Mr. Baumgertner would be extradited to Russia only if Uralkali compensated Belarus for the damage allegedly caused by the executive's actions.

"Until we get more damage, let them compensate for this amount," he told CIS media leaders in Minsk. "If they compensate us for the damage, we will make some moves to hand over Baumgertner, who is loved by you and the Russian people [to Russia]." // BelaPAN