Arche's bank account unblocked
A criminal case following an audit of the magazine's finances will not be initiated.
BelaPAN news agency has learnt it from acting editor of the magazine Ales Pashkevich.
“The bank received a notice saying to withdraw the order of the financial investigation department for Minsk and the Minsk region on freezing the magazine's account. An inspector from the department said a criminal case wouldn't be initiated,” Ales Pashkevich said. The magazine's staff are trying to receive an official notice confirming the refusal to initiate a criminal case.
According to Pashkevich, if the problem of re-registration of the magazine were solved, the unfrozen account would allowed to print a new issue. But the Ministry of Information has not taken a decision to re-register Arche. The staff made the fourth re-registration attempt on March 15. The documents are to be considered within a month.
It should be reminded that Arche faced problems in September 2012, after the arrest of former editor-in-chief Valer Bulhakau. It happened on September 14 in Hrodna during the presentation of the book “Sovetisation of Western Belarus”. Bulhakau was accused of conducting illegal business.
On September 21, officers of the State Control Committee's financial investigation department raided a publishing house and seized all documents relating to the last two years of Arche's activity.
More than 5,000 copies of Bulhakau's books were seized on October 2. Arche founder Andrei Dynko was summoned to the financial investigation department two days later.
Bulhakau was issued a fine of 500,000 rubles for illegal business activity on October 18. He left Belarus in early November in fear of criminal prosecution.
Hrodna shops that sell confiscated items have begun to sell the books seized during last year's presentation, Radio Svaboda reports.
Arche made attempts to re-register the magazine in November 2012, January and Febraury this year. The Ministry of Information denied registration last time due to violations of the application procedure.
