Belarusian president softens anti-corruption prosecution to sing loyalty of nomenclature

Last week, President Lukashenka decided on the early release of Former Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Arkhipov and appointed him as director of ‘Petrovichi’ agricultural enterprise. Arkhipov was released of his duties and fired from the prosecutor’s office, and subsequently sentenced to six years imprisonment in a penal colony for the abuse of power and taking bribes. It should be noted that amendments to the Belarusian legislation have somewhat softened penalties for corruption charges and enabled voluntary transfer of “expensive gifts” to the state. Throughout his rule, Lukashenka quite often released high level officials early. Amid deteriorating economic situation, the president is taking additional measures to preserve the solidity of the power system and ensure the loyalty of the nomenclature by easing corruption prosecution.