The investigative network Organized Crime and Corrupution Reporting Project (OCCRP) has named Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko “Person of the Year 2021 in the field of organized crime and corruption”.
For the first time in the ten-year history of the election, the decision was made unanimously, the OCCRP announced today, according to the agency. “It was a particularly successful year for corruption, but Lukashenko stood out from the group,” OCCRP co-founder Drew Sullivan was quoted as saying. A total of six journalists and experts made the choice. There were 1,167 nominations.
Lukashenko forwarded state money to related oligarchs, forced a Ryanair plane to land, triggered a refugee crisis at the EU’s external border by attracting migrants and spread false information about the corona virus, the research network listed. Among the five finalists were Lukashenko’s counterparts in Syria and Turkey, Baschar al-Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, as well as former Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP).