Baumgertner owes his release to his mother - Lukashenko
ZHLOBIN, Belarus. Sept 28 (Interfax) - Russian company Uralkali's chief executive Vladislav Baumgertner, arrested in Belarus on charges of complicity in dealings that allegedly robbed the Belarusian state of $100 million, owes his release from custody on Thursday to guarantees from his mother, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday.
"It was under guarantees from his mother that he was released," Lukashenko told reporters in Zhlobin.
"His mother is living with him [in the apartment in Minsk where Baumgertner is under house arrest] and looking after her son. His mother is a very kind and good person, apparently," the president said.
"Let him thank his mother and not Lukashenko, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin or [Russian Prime Minister Dmitry] Medvedev," Lukashenko said in dismissing suspicions by journalists that Baumgertner's release was a gesture because of a recent visit of Putin to Belarus.
Baumgertner's mother "sent me a letter three or four days ago, she came here according to what was reported to me, she asked for a milder restrictive measure for him," Lukashenko said.
"I didn't make any decision. I just stated my opinion - to prevent any damage to the process, let the investigators decide, I'm not against it if the [restrictive] measure is changed," the president said. "The investigators looked at this problem absolutely independently and decided that it was possible at that point to release him from jail and put him under house arrest in an apartment."
"He is paying his own rent for the apartment and for all the services. He's not a poor man. Such was the condition," Lukashenko said.
Baumgertner was arrested in Minsk late last month and charged by the Belarusian Investigative Committee with abuse of office under a law that prescribes a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Besides Uralkali, Baumgertner holds a senior role at Belarusian Potash Company. He and other top BPC managers were accused of illegal business that allegedly inflicted damages of about $100 million on BPC and Belaruskali, which are state-owned companies.
Baumgertner was put in a detention facility of Belarus' State Security Committee (KGB) from where he was released on Thursday to be put under house arrest.
