Paviel Latuška faces a seventh criminal case in Belarus

February 4, BPN. A seventh criminal case has been opened against the head of the National Anti-Crisis Management and former minister and diplomat Paviel Latuška in Belarus.

The Financial Investigations Department of the State Control Committee opened a criminal case against Latuška under Article 430, part 3 of the Criminal Code (receiving a bribe on a particularly large scale), the aforementioned Department reports.

It claims that back in 2012, one of the managers of a Belarusian film and video production company claimed to have given a bribe of $10,000 to Paviel Latuška, who was the Minister of Culture at the time. This has resulted in a favourable decision to include the relevant film project in the film production funding plan for 2012-2013.

Subsequently, the Cinema Department at the Ministry of Culture signed an agreement with the company and financed the production of the film project.

Previously, criminal cases were opened against Latuška, now living abroad, under six articles of the Criminal Code: 3611 (establishment of an extremist formation), 357 (conspiracy to seize power), 361 (calls for the overthrow or change of the constitutional order), 289 (act of terrorism), 382 (unauthorized appropriation of rank or power) and 426 (abuse of power or official authority).

On January 28, Latuška announced via his Instagram account that a criminal case had been opened against his daughter, 27-year-old Jana Latuška. The charges still remain unclear. The apartment that the daughter inherited from her father’s parents has been seized. The latter had acquired it during the Soviet times.

According to Viasna Human Rights Center, on the night of January 31, Paviel Latuška’s cousin Anatol’ Latuška was detained. He is charged with an offence under Article 339, part 2 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism) for painting Pahonia coat of arms using stencils. Anatol’ Latuška is recognized as a political prisoner.