Court in Belarus sentences former Belgazprombank CEO Babariko to 14 years of imprisonment
MINSK. July 6 (Interfax) - A court in Belarus has sentenced former Belgazprombank CEO and unregistered presidential candidate Viktor Babariko to 14 years of imprisonment, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courtroom.
"Consistent with partially concurrent sentences, Babariko will serve 14 years in a high-security penitentiary, will pay a fine of 5,000 basic units [...], and will be deprived of the right to perform managerial and administrative duties over a period of five years," Supreme Court Judge Igor Lyubovitsky said on Tuesday when pronouncing Babariko's sentence.
The court ordered that over 47.7 million Belarusian rubles (about $18 million) be impounded from Babariko.
The other case defendants have been found guilty of conspiracy to receive bribes of particularly large sums of money and have been sentenced.
Former Belgazprombank top managers Sergei Shaban and Dmitry Kuzmich have been sentenced to six and six and a half years in a high-security penitentiary, respectively, while Kirill Badei, Alexander Ilyasyuk, and Sergei Dobrolet will serve five and a half years in a high-security penitentiary each, and Alexei Zadoiko will be under non-custodial restraint for five years due to chronic illness.
Aktivleasing founder Viktor Kobyak has been found guilty of giving a large bribe and sentenced to three years in a high-security penitentiary.
All defendants but Babariko pleaded guilty as charged.
Babariko resigned as Belgazprombank CEO in May 2020, as he was planning to run for president. He failed to receive registration as a presidential candidate due to the opening of the criminal case and his arrest. Babariko was arrested together with his son, Eduard, the head of his campaign.