Entrepreneurs protest in Minsk after losing $40-80 thousand: video

Entrepreneurs protested in Kulman Street in Minsk on February 27. About 50 people gathered near the computing machinery plant MVAVT.

Each of them invested dozens of thousands dollars in the construction of the new trade centre Impulse-2 situated on the territory of the plant. However, they have been left in the cold.

“Panasyuk, the plant’s director-general, was given some land. He hired a developer (Luck-Plus) to build a trade centre with people’s money. As far as I understand, he did not indicate that some of the rooms had been bought,” a participant of the protest who may lose $20 thousand expressed her opinion. “When the construction was over, we were told that the President had ordered to sell the buildings on the territory of the plant (MVAVT, – Euroradio). And it turned out that we did not exist. Why doesn’t Panasyuk want to talk to us? We have been standing here for two days. Why is he so disrespectful?”

The protest resembles a meeting of inhabitants of a block of flats or a picket in support of an MP. There is only one policeman on the threshold. There are no posters or loudspeakers. People have been waiting for the director of MVAVT for two days.

We found a young entrepreneur who invested $80 thousand in the construction and may be left holding the bag.

“The first shareholders appeared in 2004. There was an advertisement in the radio: “Come and bring money,” the entrepreneur describes the beginning of the construction of Impulse-2. “We were supposed to get our rooms by May 2013. However, the developer, Luck-Plus, was not allowed to finish the construction for some reason. They started cancelling the investment agreement. And the shareholders were left in the cold. Then the President ordered to start selling the buildings on the territory of the plant. Our trade centre is being auctioned to make money for the city budget. They are not going to make up for anything.”

Director of Luck-Plus Yuri Yushkevich is also trying to meet the plant director together with the entrepreneurs. The businessman keeps showing documents to the people and assures them that he did everything according to the law.

“This is lawlessness. We finished the object, money was invested in it,” Yuri Yushkevich  told Euroradio. “There is a parking lot and all the services are ready. The trade centre had to start working in June. However, the plant sealed the object when we were about to recive a disclosure statement. The director general ousted everyone. For no reason. The object was ready! I complained to Minsk City Executive Committee. They sent me a reply three weeks later – the plant has been fined for $98 thousand for not starting the object up.  An initiative group has been created. They will complain to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the President and other governmental structures.”

MVAVT: “We have no contractual relationship with these people.”

Judging by the entrepreneurs and company’s words, the situation resembles a seizure. People invested money and were ousted.

We asked the plant administration to explain the situation. The head of the material and technical basis department Leanid Kadushkevich partly explained the problem. But he did not know all the details either.

“We have no contractual relationship with these people. The investor who is biasing them against the enterprise is not tactful. We do not know these people, why should we meet them and promise anything?”

Euroradio: The people invested huge sums and may lose their money. Who is to blame for it?

Leanid Kadushkevich: “The investor has not started the object up so far. It has also been ordered to auction a few buildings. A group of 20 valuers worked there. The auction is appointed for March 27.”