Sasha Varlamau: They tried to shut me up during interrogations
The famous fashion designer is standing trial in Minsk Lenin District Court. (UPDATED)
14.50 Varlamau: "I was trying to provide 40 people with 4 meals a day. BSU did not give a penny. I wanted Minsk to have a state Centre of Youth Fashion, not BSU Centre of Youth Fashion. I wanted it to have its own tailoring shop. I was ready to sew my Berlin and Milan collections here..."
Varlmau said that they lacked money in all their trips: "Strazhau said: Varlamau, do everything you can and go find money! They said that they could only pay for the bus. Those were trips on credit. I had to borrow money for accommodation and fashion shows."
14.20 The hearing has been resumed after the lunch break. Varlamau is being interrogated. He is speaking about his trip to Sweden.
Varlamau has been asked why different parents had to pay different sums. The designer cannot answer because he was not in charge of collecting money. Varlamau keeps saying that he did not process any documents.
Varlamau: "BSU did not pay a penny in "Fashion Mill" except for a few cases."
A break has been announced until 2 p.m.
12.30. Varlamau is describing his trip to Vienna. BSU paid for the bus and accommodation then, he said. The allowances were spent of the Fashion Centre in Vienna and on a fashion show in Prague.
11.45. The public prosecutors have pronounced a warning to Varlamau for his words addressed to them. Varlamau said: "I am 57 years old, don't play word games with me."
11.20. The public prosecutor keeps asking about trips. Varlamau is speaking.
10.55. Varlamau: “They did not let me speak. As soon as I started speaking during interrogations they shut me up. They said: we didn't ask you about it. But I had the right to add written comments during the next interrogation."
32 interrogations were conducted during the preliminary investigation.
10.40. Varlamau: “I had to go to Europe in 2006. It was a year of financial problems for me. I needed to find a place for my fashion show. I told the chief accountant of BSU that I had no money to pay for my fashion shows in Europe. We needed sound equipment and lighting.
The Ministry of Education replied: We will give you daily allowances but we do not care what you are going to do with them."
Some of the present started nodding when Varlamau was speaking.
Varlamau stood up leaning on his crutch. His speech was rather emotional.
10.15. The hearing has been resumed. Varlamau is speaking about the days when his agency started functioning. He is speaking loudly and convincingly. The public prosecutor is specifying some details. Varlamau looks brisk. He is speaking about the way "Shasha Varlamau's Fashion Agency" was founded in 1999.
The state prosecutor has asked about trips abroad. Varlamau is describing the first trip of the agency to Berlin, Germany.
"We had small daily allowances back then. I arranged it so that we could have partially free meals and accommodation. Then we had trips every year. I cannot think of the dates now because I have spent a lot of time in jail," Varlamau said.
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The hearing is organized in Minsk Lenin District Court.
The prosecutor finished pronouncing the charges on Tuesday and Sasha Varlamau's interrogation started. He pleaded not guilty. By the way, Varlamau felt bad in the courtroom cage yesterday and a break was announced.
Varlamau overcome in court, injection given
The trial will start at 10 a.m. today.
The famous fashion designer is accused of major fraud, misappropriation, tax evasion, power abuse and major larceny.
Sasha Varlamau was jailed on May 20, 2011. He was the director of the enterprise "Sasha Varlamau's Fashion Agency", used to head the BSU Youth Fashion Centre, etc.
