Former CEO of "Kryčaŭcamientašyfier" jailed, questions remain
In the evening of July 14, Kryčaŭ District Court issued a verdict in the case of the former Director General of "Kryčaŭcamientašyfier" (“Krychau cement and slate plant”) Leanid Skotski. He was punished by 10 years imprisonment in the colony with confiscation of property and the five-year prohibition to hold executive positions associated with the control and administrative functions.
According to the court, the sentence was reduced by one year due to the amnesty on the 70th anniversary of victory in World War II. The term during which Leanid Skotski was kept in custody (since September 13, 2013) was also counted as serving imprisonment.
In his final speech Leanid Skotski partially admitted his guilt. According to him, funds were raised at "Kryčaŭcamientašyfier" not for him, but for according to the Slav tradition, in order to provide a decent reception of visitors to the enterprise, delegations and distinguished guests. Former director general said that this "tradition" exists in schools, kindergartens. Skotski also noted that people who collected money at the enterprise, didn't hand him the whole sums, keeping some to themselves. Leanid Skotski also expressed the belief that the investigation intimidated the witnesses on his case.
Journalists of Kryčaŭ independent newspaper "Voĺny Horad", who attended the trial since the beginning, noted that the trial was fully confirmed the information about the system of levies that existed at "Kryčaŭcamientašyfier" when Skotski was its CEO. At the same time, they wonder why the judge paid no interest to the testimonies of Mr. Skotski and his lawyer, who repeatedly stated that the raised money were used to buy food and expensive gifts for delegations from the ministry and other state agencies. None of these high-rank officials were summoned to Kryčaŭ District Court.
The editor of the newspaper "Voĺny Horad" Siarhei Niarouny noted that, despite the fact that the criminal case against the former Director General of "Kryčaŭcamientašyfier" caused a great resonance among the residents of Kryčaŭ district, there was almost no information about the trial in the district state-owned newspaper "Kryčaŭskaje Žyccio”. The journalists of this newspaper didn't attend the trial even on July 14, when Leanid Skotski was delivering his last speech and the verdict was announced.
Let us remind that the trial of the former Director General of "Kryčaŭcamientašyfier" Leanid Skotski started on March 10. He was charged under Art. 424, part 3 (abuse of power or official authority) and Art. 430, parts 1 and 2 (bribery) of the Criminal Code. According to investigators, Mr. Skotski illegally received a total of 214 million rubles, being involved in 12 episodes of extortion of money from wage bonuses of the factory workers. Having the wage of 30 mln rubles, he did not disdain to take bribes of $ 20, as well as eat in the factory canteen without paying for it.
He was detained in September 2013 by MIA and KGB officers while receiving money. Leanid Skotski tried to appropriate 40 mln rubles, which were issued to the employees as wage bonuses for "for saving fuel and energy resources" in the first half of 2013.
Before his appointment to the post of Director General of "Kryčaŭcamientašyfier" Leanid Skotski worked as Deputy Chairman of Kryčaŭ District Executive Committee. At the time of the arrest he was also an officer of Kryčaŭ DEC. In 2012 Leanid Skotski was vote the "Man of the Year" in Kryčaŭ district.
