MINSK, 10 March (BelTA) – Fault-finding in investments and real sector is inadmissible, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the session held on 10 March to discuss the performance of law enforcement agencies in 2016 and the optimization of law enforcement and judicial systems, BelTA has learned.
“I am calling the attention of not just the prosecutor's office but of all the supervisory agencies. The punishment of offenders should be commensurable with their offenses. It should encourage voluntary compensation for the offenses to the victims. Fault-finding in investments and real sector is inadmissible. Opening cases based on formal signs of law violation leads to suspension of investment projects and shutdown of economic entities. As a result, we lose taxpayers, damage the country's appeal for business, and deprive people of their jobs,” Alexander Lukashenko noted.
According to the president, Belarus needs to take a balanced approach when adopting response measures in situations when an investment project is in an active stage of implementation and when investors and other economic entities faithfully fulfill their tax and other social responsibilities.
The head of state added that the topic of decriminalization of economic crimes is actively discussed today. “But by excluding them from the Criminal Code, we can leave the business one-on-one with scammers. Therefore, simultaneously with the decriminalization we should consider referring such crimes to the realm of private prosecution. Such a step would relieve the burden on the law enforcement system, enhance the access to justice, and help contain the crime rate,” the Belarusian leader said.
