MINSK, 14 March (BelTA) – The Belarusian Interior Ministry is involved in the discussion of the measures to decriminalize economic offences, Eduard Nikitin, the head of the main economic crimes division of criminal police at the Belarusian Interior Ministry, told a press conference held in BelTA's press center on 14 March.
“The discussion is underway on the decriminalization of the offences in the area of entrepreneurship. The Interior Ministry is ready to get involved in this process. We have already come up with a number of proposals on some issues. For instance, we have suggested easing the punishment for violating the rules on transactions with precious metals and stones (Article 223 of the Belarus' Criminal Code). We have suggested that the offences mentioned in the second part of the article should be classified as crimes not constituting a major public threat, rather than grave crimes,” Eduard Nikitin said.
He gave an example: if a person sells a golden chain without a special stamp, it is an offence, but it does not inflict big damage to the state and poses no major threat. “That is why we came up with such a proposal,” Eduard Nikitin noted.