December 4, Pozirk. People who have been subjected to politically-motivated persecution are banned from working as auditors in Belarus, under a government directive adopted on December 1.
The document, published today on the National Legal Internet Portal, requires applicants for an auditor’s qualification certificate to submit a document to the finance ministry confirming that they have “no outstanding or unexpunged convictions” under certain criminal articles.
These include economic crimes such as fraud, theft, embezzlement and tax evasion, along with articles that the authorities use for political persecution: participation in protests, discrediting the state, sharing opposition content and having links to groups deemed extremist by the Belarusian authorities.
Earlier this year, Belarusian authorities sentenced Pavieł Łaščanka, a former Ernst & Young partner and head of the audit company’s Belarus office re-branded as B1 in 2022, to prison, designating him as terrorist. He may not be able to renew his auditor’s certificate in Belarus after completing his sentence.
Following the 2020 political crisis, authorities in Belarus have equated criticism, solidarity, advocacy, the free media and free expression to extremism and terrorism. The crackdown on critics and their online activities continues unabated.
