All news

Appointment of acting CEO to Belgazprombank unlawful - shareholders

This statement was made by Gazprombank and Gazprom

MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. Gazprombank and Gazprom, the shareholders of Belgazprombank with the share of 49.82% each, stated that appointment of the acting CEO to the Belarusian bank was unlawful, Russian companies said in a joint statement.

"Gazprombank and Gazprom as the shareholders of Belgazprombank state that on June 11, 2020, contrary to laws of the Republic of Belarus, the management board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus committed illegal actions on appointment of acting chief executive officer of Belgazprombank and acting deputy chief executive officer of Belgazprombank. These appointments were accompanied by detention of competent management board members of Belgazprombank by law enforcement authorities of the Republic of Belarus," the statement says.

The said actions were committed with a gross violation of Belarusian legislation and the Agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union and directly affect rights and lawful interests of Russian shareholders of Belgazprombank and interests of clients and depositors, shareholders said.

"Shareholders of Belgazprombank intend to seek after protection of their rights and lawful interests by all the legal remedies available and undertake all the possible measures to safeguard interests of clients and support financial stability of the bank," Russian companies added.

Belgazprombank case

On June 11, the Belarusian State Control Committee informed that it conducts the search in Gazprombank. The Committee’s Department of Financial Investigations opened the criminal case under Part 2 of Article 243 (Tax evasion in particularly large amount) and Part 2 of Article 235 (Legalization of criminal income in particularly large amount).

The Department of Financial Investigations of the Belarusian State Control Committee has solid evidence that ex-CEO of Belgazprombank Victor Babariko was involved in unlawful activity, Committee Chairman Ivan Tertel told reporters this Friday. Fifteen individuals were detained within the framework of this case investigation, the official said. Among them are top managers, including deputy chief executives of the bank, executives of different level and representatives of commercial companies (mainly ex-employees of the bank), Tertel added.

Ex-chief executive officer of Belgazprombank Victor Babariko, who headed the bank for almost 20 years, announced his participation in presidential elections in Belarus on May 12. Babariko had no procedural status within the criminal case investigation framework, the Belarusian State Control Committee said earlier. Registration of candidates in Belarus will take place from July 5 to 14.

Belgazprombank is one of systemic banks of Belarus. Among its shareholders are Gazprom and Gazprombank (49.82% in the capital for each of them), Gazprom Transgaz Belarus (0.266%), and the Republic of Belarus represented by the Energy Ministry (0.098% in the capital).