Results of anti-corruption efforts in the Vitebsk region in 2015
In accordance with the current Procedure for the formation of information on corruption offenses in the Vitebsk region, for 12 months of 2015, 177 corruption offenses were registered, which is 2 offenses less than in 2014.
The proportion of corruption offenses in the total number of registered offenses in the region is 1.56% (for the republic as a whole - 1.65%). Bribery and embezzlement through abuse of official powers prevail among corruption offenses.
The largest number of offenses in this category were registered in Vitebsk (52), Novopolotsk (33), Orsha district and the city of Orsha (30).
By sectors and spheres of activity, the largest number of corruption offenses registered in the analyzed period was in healthcare – 34, in transport – 23, in agricultural production, and in trade – 20 offenses of the analyzed category each. 5 corruption offenses were committed by employees of local authorities, 2 offenses – by law enforcement officers.
For corruption offenses accounted for in the region, material damage totaling 4.7 billion rubles was established, of which 1.8 billion rubles were compensated, and property was seized totaling 2.4 billion rubles.
In total, 85 individuals were brought to justice for committing corruption offenses in the region last year. This includes: 2 representatives of authority, 3 officials holding responsible positions, 34 individuals holding positions related to the performance of organizational and administrative functions (including 13 heads of legal entities).
Thus, in 2015, the head of the state technical supervision inspectorate of Vitebsk, officials of the solid waste landfill of KUP "Orshanskaya spetstavtobaza", UO "Vitebsk educational and training complex for training, professional development and retraining of personnel", RUSP "Beltekhosmotr", Pstovsky BOOR, teachers of UO "Vitebsk State Industrial-Pedagogical College", the joint organizational structure of the republican public association DOSAAF, doctors of Polyclinic No. 2 in Vitebsk, Polyclinic No. 1 of UZ Novopolotsk Central City Hospital were convicted of accepting bribes.
An analysis of the causes and conditions of corruption offenses shows that the most common reasons for their commission remain mercenary motives - the desire of officials for personal enrichment, illegal acquisition of material assets, as well as the desire of officials to conceal shortcomings and omissions in their work, to avoid material and disciplinary responsibility, to create an appearance of economic well-being, to fulfill performance indicators, etc. A low level of labor and production discipline in organizations, and the absence of a proper system of control by managers over the official activities of subordinate employees also contribute significantly to the commission of crimes.
In 2015, the prosecutor's offices of the region conducted 129 inspections on the implementation of anti-corruption legislation. Based on the results of supervision over
19 criminal cases were initiated for violations of anti-corruption legislation, 419 supervisory acts were issued, 344 individuals were brought to various types of liability at the request of prosecutors, and damages totaling over 254 million rubles were recovered out of court.Checks on the aforementioned issues were conducted in trade and public catering organizations, at a number of enterprises within the system of the state association "Vitebsk Concern "Meat and Dairy Products", at the Vitebsk Regional Communal Unitary Enterprise for Construction and Operation of Melioration and Water Management Systems "Vitebskmeliovodkhoz" and its subsidiaries, in territorial communal unitary enterprises within the system of KUP "UKS Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee", at GKU "Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic", GU "Vitebsk Regional State Inspectorate for Seed Production, Quarantine and Plant Protection", territorial state institutions of hygiene and epidemiology, territorial bodies of the inspectorate for natural resources and environmental protection, organizations subordinate to the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus, structural divisions of local executive and administrative bodies.
The results of supervisory work in this area indicate that the activities of state bodies and organizations in combating corruption are insufficient.
In particular, violations are widespread regarding the organization of work to counter corruption, ensuring the safety of property of state enterprises, enterprises with a significant state share in the authorized fund, and the rational use of fixed and current assets. Toat the present moment, proper financial control over persons obliged to declare their income and property has not been ensured.
There is no effective control over compliance with legal prohibitions established to differentiate official (labor) duties and personal, group, and other non-official interests of public officials and persons equated to them.
In particular, the prosecutor's office of Novopolotsk, during a planned inspection of Novopolotsklift OJSC, found that the head of the section of this enterprise, when appointed to the said position (10.12.2012), gave an undertaking to comply with the restrictions provided for by Art. 17 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Combating Corruption". At the same time, the latter has been registered in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs as an individual entrepreneur since 09.02.2011 and is registered with the Ministry of Taxes and Levies of Novopolotsk, being a taxpayer using a simplified taxation system.
In order to eliminate the noted shortcomings in the organization of work on corruption prevention, the prosecutor's office of Novopolotsk has submitted a corresponding representation, and at the request of the prosecutor's office, the head of the section has been brought to disciplinary and administrative responsibility (Part 3 of Art. 12.7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus).
Upon establishment of facts of corruption offenses, the prosecutor's bodies take measures to restore the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of individuals and legal entities, and to eliminate other harmful consequences.
InIn particular, last year, the region's prosecutor's offices filed protests against fictitious decisions on the alienation of property of enterprises with a significant state share in the authorized capital.
Thus, in November 2015, the prosecutor of Gorodok district protested a number of decisions of the general meeting of shareholders of OJSC "Gorodok Rayagropromsnab" (more than 99% of shares are owned by the district) on the sale of residential premises of the enterprise, built with the involvement of preferential loans from OJSC "Belagroprombank" to the employees of this enterprise. The grounds for filing protests were violations of the procedure for making such decisions, as well as incorrect calculation of the amount payable for residential premises. As a result of such an assessment, the total difference in the cost of alienated property amounted to more than 400 million rubles.
The practice of prosecutor's supervision in the field of procurement shows that in the procurement of goods (works, services), there are still cases of non-compliance with established procurement procedures, inefficient and uneconomical spending of budget funds, violations related to the planning of public procurement, dissemination of information on procurement, violations of the procedure for conducting specific procurement procedures, meetings of tender committees, and deficiencies in the documentation of procurement.
Common offenses that create conditions for corruption include the adoption of local acts that determine the procedure for conducting procurement procedures in state bodies and organizations, containing provisions that do not comply with the current legislation in this area and worsen the rights of potential participants in procurement procedures.
To
for example, in March-April of the current year, monitoring was organized and conducted on compliance with the requirements of legislation on public procurement in terms of timely posting of annual procurement plans, as well as amendments and additions thereto. The inspections carried out revealed violations of the requirements of Art. 18 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Public Procurement of Goods (Works, Services)", para. 10 of the Regulation on the procedure for posting information on public procurement and acts of legislation on public procurement on the official website, approved by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of 22.08.2012 No. 778, established in Braslav, Vitebsk, Verkhnedvinsk, Gluboksk, Gorodok, Dokshitsk, Dubrovensk, Lepel, Miory, Orsha, Polotsk, Rossony, Toločin, Ušachy, Čašniki, Šarkovščina and Šumilin districts.
In total, 61 inspections were carried out in the procurement sector in 2015, and 155 supervisory acts were issued. At the request of prosecutors, 136 officials were brought to various types of liability.
The prosecutor's offices of the Vitebsk region will continue to carry out work aimed at systemic counteraction to corruption, elimination of the causes and conditions conducive to corruption manifestations.
Prosecutor's Office Department
of the Vitebsk Region
for Combating Corruption
and organized crime