Employees of Belapan News Agency prosecuted for tax evasion
Several detained employees of the Belarusian independent news agency BelaPAN have been charged with tax evasion, as Belsat reported.
In particular, the case was filed against former BelaPAN director Dzmitry Navazhylau, editor Iryna Leushina and journalist Andrey Alyaksandrau.
The Investigative Committee of Belarus said that within the period from June 2018 to January 2021, the agency's staff submitted an "inaccurate information” to the tax inspection “that resulted in failure to pay taxes totaling more than one hundred non-taxable minimum incomes".
Dmytriy Navazhylau, Iryna Leushina and accountant Kateryna Boyeva were detained on August 18 as participants in a case of mass riots.
In a statement in the official telegram channel of the IC, it is written that a criminal case is underway in Minsk, initiated on the fact of mass riots and group actions that grossly violate public order. The investigation establishes the persons involved in these events.
The Investigative Committee explained that a tax audit of BelaPAN was allegedly initiated as part of this case, as a result of which a non-payment of one hundred thousand rubles was found.
On August 18, journalists of the independent news agency BelaPAN were searched in Minsk - correspondent Iryna Turchyna, editor Aleksander Zaitsev and accountant Kateryna Boyeva.
On January 14, the BelaPAN editorial office was already searched, when security officers seized some manuscripts, documents and a hard disks drives. The search was due to a criminal case against the former deputy director of the agency, journalist Andrey Aleksandrau, for organizations or participation in actions that grossly violate public order.
Belarusian human rights activists have recognized them as political prisoners.
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