Belarussian ex prime minister may be jailed

On Tuesday the court in Minsk will announce a verdict to Belarussian ex prime minister Mikhail Chigir, accused of negligence and tax dodging.

He may be sentenced to a three-year imprisonment with confiscation of property.

A representative of the Belagroprombank brought a suit against Chigir, accusing him of authorizing a $1-million credit for building a new bank office, when chairing the bank's board.

Apart from this, Chigir is charged with dodging taxes of 8.5 million Belarussian roubles (more than $4,500) during his work abroad in 1998-1999.

The ex prime minister pleaded not guilty. The decision on the credit was taken by the bank's board, and he paid his taxes in due time, he said. Chigir is sure the process has a political background.