The Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office conducted a monitoring of the compliance of recipients of budget funds with the requirements of anti-corruption legislation

The Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office constantly analyzes information posted by customers who are recipients of budget funds regarding procurement procedures on the official website www.icetrade.by.

Violations systematically identified by prosecutors during inspections indicate that one of the areas of financial and economic activity of any enterprise, regardless of ownership, most susceptible to corruption risks is the sphere of procurement of goods (works, services), which "hides" significant opportunities for unlawful lobbying of the interests of specific legal entities and individuals, receiving "kickbacks," and deriving benefits.

Despite the sufficiently clear regulatory framework for relations in this area, the practice of prosecutorial supervision, as well as the analysis of information received from law enforcement and control bodies, indicates that violations of procurement procedures, unreasonable restriction of access to participation in procedures, and manipulation of tender documents, which conceal lobbying of the interests of specific suppliers and contractors, are still common. There are cases of subjective assessment of participants' proposals in procurement, often leading to significant damage to state property and involving corruption offenses.

In March of the current year, the Department for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime of the Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, during the analysis of the implementation of anti-corruption legislation requirements by recipients of budget funds, identified violations committed by the Educational Institution "Vitebsk State Vocational Lyceum No. 5 of Instrument Engineering" (hereinafter referred to as the educational institution) in the course of state procurement of goods (works, services).

As established, the violations consisted in the incorrect choice of procurement procedure, failure to post information on procedures on the official website, and the inclusion of requirements for participants' qualifications in the tender documentation that restricted access for potential suppliers.

On 29.03.2019, the First Deputy Prosecutor of the region, Korzhov I.N., submitted a representation to the director of the lyceum, demanding the elimination of identified violations of public procurement legislation and the bringing of guilty officials to justice. The Deputy Director for Administrative and Economic Affairs of the lyceum was brought to administrative responsibility under Part 4 of Article 11.16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.

Head of the Department
for Combating Corruption
and Organized Crime
E. Lapkovsky