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KGB Recruited a Mahiliou Official to Spy on the Mayor and the US Embassy?

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KGB Recruited a Mahiliou Official to Spy on the Mayor and the US Embassy?
PHOTO: NAVINY.BY

The ex-head of the Department of Culture of the Mahileu City Executive Committee made an unexpected statement at the trial.

The former head of the culture department of the Mahileu city executive committee, Iryna Zhabarava, who is on trial for bribery, said in her last speech that she was recruited by the KGB, and when she refused, a criminal case was fabricated against her. The defendant does not admit her guilt, according to naviny.by.

The criminal case against Zhabarava and one of the bribe-givers, Aliaksandr Liaksakau, is being considered by the Kastrychnitski Court of Mahileu. The former official is accused of repeatedly receiving bribes from the heads of the closed joint-stock company Laser Show Systems and the private company Art-Concert.

According to the investigation, the defendant lobbied their interests so that they would receive orders for organizing cultural events in the city. The investigation revealed eight episodes of receiving money that she spent on personal needs. From 2015 to 2020, the official was allegedly transferred more than 31 thousand rubles.

In her last speech, Zhabarava stated that the KGB officers suggested that she would "spy on and engage in unusual activities concerning the American Embassy, people who should be present at its closed events," as well as "her leadership: the mayor of the city and his entourage." The refusal provoked "her arrest by the KGB."

Zhabarava insisted that on November 23, when the investigation was nearing completion, KGB officers came to her and again offered cooperation "in exchange for the fact that everything will be turned back and there will be indulgence in everything."

At previous court hearings, Iryna Zhabarava stated that she had experienced psychological pressure in captivity. She was kept in "unbearable conditions": there were no hygiene products, she was deprived of communication with relatives, her relationship with her lawyer was limited, interrogations were conducted at night. Therefore, she was forced to confess.

According to the defendant, the KGB operational department chief and his subordinates demanded a confession of guilt in exchange for telephone conversations with relatives and release from custody. She wrote the confession under the dictation of the operatives in the presence of a lawyer, with whom she subsequently terminated the contract. She changed her position with a new lawyer, although the investigators warned her not to dare to change her testimony because they will add a term.

The defendant's lawyer noted that the case file contains documents confirming that the client was interrogated at night and late in the evening.

The state prosecution asks to sentence Zhabarava to six years in a general regime colony, a fine of 13,500 rubles, and deprive her of the right to hold leading positions for 5 years.

According to the prosecutor Tatstsiana Kastiushka, the defendant's guilt was proved by the confessions of the bribe-givers Liaksakau and the head of the Art Concert company Pavel Mazheika, who is a witness in the case.

As follows from the words of the representative of the prosecutor's office, both were detained, wrote a confession, in which they informed about their relationship with Zhabarava, and "clarified" their testimonies during the investigation and in court.

The main person involved in the case says that "the witness Mazheika was in custody for two months" and there "was broken."

The prosecutor mentioned that Zhabarava herself confessed to the crime, which confirms her guilt. The defendant's statement that she gave such testimony under psychological pressure from the KGB officers is not documented since she did not complain about the operatives' illegal actions.

The prosecution demands the former head of the company Laser Show Systems" Liaksakau to be fined 10 800 rubles. He is under recognizance not to leave. He admitted his guilt.

According to him, he first donated money to Zhabarava in 2016. On March 13, 2020, she was detained by KGB officers after Liaksakau handed the official an advertising booklet of his organization, which turned out to be 550 rubles.

Zhabarava claims that she did not know about the money in the brochure, and notes that she was detained by two dozen operatives. She believes that Liaksakau also confessed under pressure from operatives.

Answering his lawyer's questions, Liaksakau insisted that his KGB officers did not incline him to slander Zhabarava. He voluntarily informed them about her illegal activities before initiating the criminal case and actively contributed to its investigation.

It is expected that the verdict on Zhabarava and Liaksakau will be passed on February 4.

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