International seminar on "Tax fraud: new schemes and instruments. The fight against organized crime related to tax fraud" was held in Minsk on 28-29 July 2016. The seminar was organized by the Financial Investigations Department of the Committee of State Control of Belarus and the European Commission.
The seminar was attended by experts from Lithuania and Austria - Mr. Igoris Krzhechkovskis, EU adviser on countering money laundering and Dr. Manfred Elmeker, expert of Austrian Ministry of Finance.
On the part of Belarus the event attended by leaders of financial investigations bodies headed by the Deputy Chairman of the State Control Committee - Director of the Financial Investigations Department Igor Marshalov. The seminar was also attended by representatives of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Moldova.
The participants of seminar discussed strategic aspects of joint fight against crimes in the tax field, including taking into account enhancing the use of foreign companies for tax evasion by the Belarusian economic entities.
Foreign experts shared the ways and methods of fight against economic crimes in Lithuania and Austria, experience of EU tax (financial) investigation bodies, their competencies and capabilities.
In turn, representatives of the Financial Investigation Department informed colleagues about the main directions of work of the financial police of Belarus to ensure the state economic security, presented examples of the most resonant crimes related to the suppression of criminal schemes of tax evasion.
It should be noted that the Financial Investigation Department cooperates actively with the European Union in the framework of TAIEX program. Since 2015 representatives of the financial police of Belarus have studied the experience of tax (financial) investigations bodies of Lithuania and Estonia. International seminar with the participation of French and Spanish experts in the field of combating economic and tax crimes was held in Minsk in January 2016.
Reference information
TAIEX Program (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange) is an instrument of technical assistance and exchange of information of the European Commission. Under this program the European Union organizes seminars and workshops, in which participants get acquainted with the activities, policies and legislation of European Union and discuss a variety of practical issues of international cooperation.