Supreme Court to hear appeal by former Priorbank CEO

September 20, BPN. The Supreme Court will hear an appeal by former Priorbank CEO Siarhiej Kaściučenka on September 23, the court’s schedule says.

In July, the Minsk City Court sentenced the top banker to three and a half years in prison and a fine of 9,600 rubles (over $3780) on charges of large-scale tax evasion.

Businessmen Alaksandr Mukavozčyk and Alaksandr Žukoŭski went on trial together with Kaściučenka. The court sentenced both to three years in prison each and fines. The Supreme Court will also hear their appeals on September 23.

The media reported Kaściučenka’s arrest in March. He headed Priorbank, one of the oldest commercial banks in Belarus, since 1990. The bank is a part of Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International that holds an 87-percent stake in it. Other shareholders include the State Property Committee (6.31 percent), individuals (4.84 percent), and legal entities (1.11 percent).