Driving inspectors do not want to get involved with bribers and let them go

Driving inspectors are forbidden to have more than 30 thousands on them to prevent bribery. According to inspectors, every fifth driver tries to bribe them. However, only 6 drivers who tried to give bribes to inspectors were caught in Minsk last year. The rest were warned and… released. It is because driving inspectors do not have time to draw up protocols about bribery. People get arrested only during special raids. -- It should be this way: if a person puts money in the driving license, the inspector in white gloves should put it into a plastic bag, take two witnesses and deliver the driver to the district police office, - says the chief inspector of the agitation and propaganda department of Minsk Executive Committee driving inspectorate Yury Krasnou. – However, nobody does it because we lack inspectors. If an inspector decides to draw up a protocol about bribery he will have to leave his post for half a day.

According to an employee of the driving inspectorate, it is necessary to find witnesses to punish a bribe giver and to write reports for the investigator. And then, the driver may say the money had been put into the driving license for no special purpose. The inspector says that every fifth or maybe even every second driver tries to bribe inspectors to avoid drawing up a protocol. That is why bribers can only be caught during special raids of inspectors and the department of security of the driving inspectorate. Minsk driving inspectorate drew up protocols against six drivers and sent them to the Office of the Public Prosecutor last year.

Minsk driving inspectors have detained such a driver recently. The driver had not fastened his belt and offered inspector Ivan Yarmalovich money so that he would not draw up a protocol. They fine for the violation is 35 thousand roubles. The driver offered the inspector 60 dollars. The thing is that the Belarusian driver had a Russian driving license. In that case the fine had to be 620 thousand roubles.

Yuryi Krasnou: “The inspector put away the documents and started taking out an administrative protocol. The driver put out a ten-dollar banknote, added 50 dollars to it and said: “It is for you so that the case could solved quicker”. Then he took back his documents and started walking away. He must have been used to it”.

The head of the republican driving inspectorate Yury Litvin told ERB that inspectors organized such joint raids at least several times a week.

Yuryi Lіtvіn: “We have the equipment: dictaphones and cameras. We organize such raids regularly, once or twice a week, this is our preventive measure”.

Sometimes inspectors bring bribers to the district police office themselves. However, they can call an investigative group for it.

Yuryi Lіtvіn: “The group will prepare all documents. In this case the inspector will only have to sign the protocol of interrogation. Then the investigator will deal with the case. So it does not take half a day to do it”.

The head of the driving inspectorate agreed that inspectors were offered bribes rather often. However, they do not usually call an investigative group and simply warn bribe givers. And … let them go.

ERB has found out that inspectors are forbidden to have more than 30 thousands on them to avoid the temptation of taking a bribe. The money will be counted if any suspicion arises.

Yuryi Lіtvіn: “If there is any grounded suspicion or complaints of citizens, we will pay more attention to the inspector. All the rest, mainly everything that concerns check-ups of inspectors is our internal matter. However, there is nothing interesting about it – if there is a reason, then a criminal case will be started. It will be followed by an investigation and the prisoner’s dock”.

However, the head of the driving inspectorate did not say how many inspectors had to sit on that dock for taking bribes. There have not been any cases like that this year.