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Investigators complete "urgent" activities to gather evidence against Uralkali CEO

Vladislav Baumgertner was released from jail and placed under house arrest because the Investigative Committee of Belarus had completed all urgent investigative activities aimed at gathering evidence of the Uralkali director general's criminal acts, Pavel Travulka, spokesman for the law enforcement agency, told BelaPAN.

Mr. Baumgertner, 41, was arrested on August 26 as he was about to fly out of Minsk after a meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich.

The criminal case against the executive is linked to Uralkali's July 30 decision to de facto quit BPC, its joint trading arm with Belarusian potash giant Belaruskali. Minsk claims that the collapse of the Belarusian-Russian potash sales cartel has caused severe economic damage to Belarus.

Mr. Baumgertner was released from the detention center of the Committee for State Security (KGB) and moved to a rented apartment in Minsk on the night between September 25 and 26.