«The results of the work with appeals have been summarized»
One of the main criteria for evaluating the activities of any state body is the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens. The successful resolution of these tasks largely depends on how effectively the system for engaging with the population operates.
These requirements fully apply to the prosecutor's offices, which are entrusted with the functions of ensuring legality and the rule of law in the state.
It should be noted that in the past year, more than 6,500 people addressed the prosecutor's staff during personal receptions. For the convenience of citizens, the prosecutor's office of the region (the only one in the republic) conducts personal receptions on working days from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, as well as on weekends from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
In addition, the regional prosecutor changed the procedure for conducting personal receptions of citizens and representatives of legal entities by his deputies in 2019. Now, it is possible to appeal the actions (decisions) of city and district prosecutors, the Vitebsk transport prosecutor, as well as the heads of structural divisions of the regional prosecutor's office (in the areas supervised by the regional prosecutor's deputies) without prior appointment on established days and hours (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM or from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM). More detailed information is available on the information stand of the regional prosecutor's office and on the websites of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Belarus.
The trust in the prosecutor's offices is also evidenced by the fact that in 2018, citizens and legal entities submitted more than 9,300 written applications, a third of which did not fall under the jurisdiction of the prosecutor's staff.
A total of 5,500 appeals were resolved directly. The most appeals were resolved in the regional office and in the prosecutors' offices of Vitebsk, Novopolotsk, Orsha, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Tolchin, Chashniki, Lepel, and Gorodok districts.
Despite the decrease in the number of resolved appeals in the region, their satisfaction rate is increasing and stands at almost 30%. The highest proportion of satisfied appeals in the prosecutors' offices is in: Sharkovshchina (68.8%), Postavy (64.2%), Lepel (61.6%), Lyozno (61.4%), Gorodok (60.9%), Dokshitsy (57.1%), Tolchin (53.2%), and Beshankovichy (52.8%) districts, which should draw the attention of local authorities and law enforcement agencies.
The most frequently appealed were the actions (decisions) of inquiry bodies (more than 1,400 appeals resolved) and investigators of the Investigative Committee (more than 600 appeals). The main reasons for their satisfaction are the incompleteness of checks on applications and reports of crimes, and the lack of objectivity in investigations. The most such appeals were considered in the regional office and in the prosecutors' offices of Vitebsk, Novopolotsk, Orsha, Polotsk, Vitebsk, and Chashniki districts.
On issues of supervision over the implementation of legislation, more than 1,000 appeals were resolved. Most often, the actions (decisions) of bodies conducting administrative processes and decisions on bringing to administrative responsibility were appealed.
The majority of satisfied appeals regarding compliance with labor legislation concerned untimely payment of wages, unjustified deductions, and unlawful liability.
For example, thanks to the intervention of the Novopolotsk prosecutor's office, a former employee of one of the limited liability companies was issued a work book and a final settlement was made upon dismissal. Additionally, by the order of the deputy prosecutor of the city, the head of the company was brought to administrative responsibility under Part 1 of Article 9.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus in the form of a fine of 2 basic units.
More than 70 complaints were considered on issues of compliance with legislation on appeals from citizens and legal entities, about 10% of which were recognized as justified. Unfortunately, cases of improper consideration of appeals, failure to notify applicants of decisions made, and failure to explain the procedure for appealing responses still occur.
For instance, the prosecutor's office of the Polotsk district brought the chairman of the Polotsk district committee of trade unions of workers in the agro-industrial complex to administrative responsibility under Article 9.13 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus for violations of the specified legislation, which consisted of failing to notify the applicant of decisions made on his appeals.
Citizens and legal entities frequently turn to the prosecutor's offices regarding the protection of their rights in court. Thus, in the past year, prosecutors filed more than 2,000 applications in general courts and more than 300 claims in economic courts.
In total, in 2018, prosecutors took prosecutorial response measures based on the results of considering 1,484 appeals from individuals and legal entities.
Deputy Head
Organizational and Control Department
Prosecutor's Office of Vitebsk Region
S.L. Zaitseva