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The director of the institution, Ilya Epifanov, says that he has asked the Lithuanian authorities to pay salaries to employees, most of whom are Lithuanian citizens.
Epifanov told BNS on Monday that the accounts were frozen on December 18, and that the reason given by the bank was the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Belarus.
The Belarus sanatorium is not on the EU sanctions list, but this month the Head Economic Council of the Belarusian presidential administration, GHU, has been added to it.
We are not related to any natural person, we are owned by the Republic of Belarus, we are not related to bad people or bad things, said I. Epifanov.
According to the Records Center, the Board of Presidential Affairs of Belarus is the sole shareholder of the sanatorium. The sanatorium functions as a public institution.
“Our sanatorium was not on the sanctions list, I read the EU magazine where it is written, our sanatorium is not listed there. We are not related to any natural person, we are owned by the Republic of Belarus, we are not related to bad people or bad things, ”I. Epifanov told BNS.
According to Swedbank spokesman Saulius Abraškevičius, according to the law, the bank cannot disclose information about the services provided to specific natural and legal persons.
“In this particular case, we can say that the bank has informed the client directly about the situation and possible decisions regarding salaries and other mandatory payments,” S. Abraškevičius told BNS.
“We are a successful company that employs many people, pays all taxes consistently and honestly, supports the Lithuanian state and I do not understand such a situation,” said the head of Belarus.
According to him, the majority, some 350 employees of the sanatorium, are Lithuanian. According to Sodra, it employs a total of 393 people.
“We sit and beat our heads about what to do, how to continue living, because people work a lot in a sanatorium, we cannot even pay salaries even though there is money. We have appealed to certain responsible Lithuanian institutions to allow the payment of salaries, unlocking accounts, we are waiting for a response ”, explained I. Epifanov.
We sit down and break our heads about what to do, how to continue living, because many people work in the sanatorium, we cannot even pay salaries, although there is money, says I. Epifanov.
According to him, since December 17, after the tightening of the quarantine, most of the workers are in downtime, but until then the sanatorium was partially functional.
Most of Belorus’s clients are from Belarus, mostly children, but people from all over the world come here for treatment, according to his manager.
European Union sanctions have been imposed on the Belarusian regime for repressing peaceful demonstrations and electoral fraud. The Belarusian Presidential Affairs Board was added to the sanctions list on December 17.
The Lithuanian government is considering helping the sanitarium staff
Vytautė Šmaižytė, spokesman for Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, confirmed to the BNS that the accounts of the “Belarus” sanatorium were frozen due to the EU sanctions against the Main Economic Council of the President of Belarus. She is the owner of the sanatorium.
The minister’s spokesperson emphasized that Lithuanian economic entities directly apply the EU regulation on sanctions.
According to the representative of the Minister, the sanatorium staff will be supported by Lithuanians avoiding any assistance to the regime of the President of Belarus, Aliaksandr Lukashenko.
“We fully understand the plight of several hundred Lithuanian citizens working in this Belarusian company in Druskininkai; all options are being considered to help them directly, avoiding any assistance to the regime,” V. Šmaižytė told BNS.
Photo by Vidmantas Balkūnas / 15 min photo / Vytautė Šmaižytė
He also highlighted that with the continuation of violence in Belarus, the risk for companies working directly with the regime is increasing.
“It is very important not to forget why sanctions have been imposed on Belarusian companies and individuals; without an end to the violence against peaceful protesters in Belarus, there is likely to be even more of those sanctions. Only then can we show that what is happening on the streets of Minsk is unacceptable. Without protests and their illegal repression, the risk for companies that work directly with the regime is increasing, “said the minister’s representative.
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