BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
20/03/2008
Belarusian President Slams Customs Service, Law Enforcement System
President Lukashenka on March 18 called for a crackdown on widespread corruption in Belarus's customs service, Belapan reported on March 19. Lukashenka described the extent of corruption in the customs service as unacceptable. "This testifies to failures in the work of the State Customs Committee. Corruption has turned from a chronic disease into a cancerous tumor," Lukashenka said. He suggested that the main goals of the customs and border-control services are the creation of a strong barrier to international organized crime and the protection of Belarus's economic interests. "We must not close ourselves off from the rest of the world, but rather secure necessary conditions for Belarus's painless accession to the world economy," Lukashenka said. He also instructed the State Secretariat of the Security Council to "give a shake" to the security and law enforcement system, arguing that it is not doing enough to curb economic crimes. "Economic offenses still cause serious damage. Moreover, ill-considered, inconsistent actions during the detection and investigation of such crimes sometimes cause as much damage as the crime itself," Lukashenka said. "Law enforcement agencies are not working to prevent negative phenomena in this sphere, in particular to protect large-scale national projects and promising investment programs. The Interior Ministry, the KGB [Committee for State Security], the Department of Financial Investigations, the Department of Financial Supervision of the State Control Committee take a passive stance on the matter," he added. AM
Source:
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/03/3-cee/cee-200308.asp
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