KGB receives new powers
The State Security Committee (KGB) has received broader authorities for control over financial transactions of the citizens.
In 2006 the Council of Ministers of Belarus delegated some authorities to KGB, which included determining a list of persons ‘carrying out financial transactions, in relation to whom there is information about their involvement in terrorist activity or persons staying under their control who are engaged into terrorist activity, and informing persons performing financial transactions about this list’.
Simply speaking, KGB formed a list of persons, in relation to whom there were suspicions of being part of terrorist organizations or stayed under their control. This list was directed to state bodies that controlled all financial transactions performed by persons on the list. But KGB was limited by the fact that only persons performing financial transactions could be included into the list. Now the situation will change a little.
According to Resolution #1287 of the Council of Ministers, from now on KGB will be able to include into the specified list not only the persons performing transactions directly, but all ‘participants of a financial transaction’. Meanwhile, it is not determined in the resolution who falls under the definition ‘participant of a financial transaction’.
Taking into consideration the fact that the ground for inclusion into the list is information received from as a result of the activities of the state security agencies and ‘other grounds in accordance with legislative acts of the Republic of Belarus’, practically any person can appear in the list under KGB’s control.
