Streamline language school founder accused of tax evasion

December 27, Pozirk. Top executives of the outlawed Streamline language school face charges of tax evasion, the Investigative Committee’s press office reports.

The news comes amid reports of closures of foreign language instruction schools across the country in what appears to be a coordinated government crackdown on private foreign-language courses as part of a broader assault on dissent.

Officials expressed discontent with foreign language instruction on numerous occasions, noting that it played a role in the outflow of workers.

“The total English class hours exceed those for studying Belarusian and Russian together. Are we training labor force for the West?” Prosecutor General Andrej Švied said at a government conference last year.

Investigators have not disclosed any names, but most likely the charges have been brought against exiled Eduard Caluk and his wife.

Investigators have initiated proceedings to seize their Belarus-based properties, including houses and land plots valued at about 9 million rubels ($2.6 million).

The Minsk city authorities launched Streamline liquidation in late October, without specifying the legal grounds or notifying the school.

The inspectors came to Streamline with a search in October, seizing the school’s servers and freezing its accounts. Students were unable to pay for their studies and teachers to receive their salaries.

Streamline has operated since 1998. In 2017, it became the first language school in Belarus to receive the prestigious international accreditation Quality English Associate School. It also has a number of accreditations in the field of international education: ICEF, EAQA, English UK, and Business English UK.

Streamline specialized in five foreign languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. Previously, it has also taught Polish.

Also read: Brest region’s largest language school cancels classes