On January 14, 2000, the Supreme Court convicted him of large-scale embezzlement and bribetaking and sentenced him to four years minus the time he had spent in pretrial detention.
In his last statement, the accused claimed that he was being prosecuted for his effort to reform agriculture.
Mr. Leonov had all his property confiscated. His wife's appeal against the forfeiture is now being processed by the Minsk District Court.
News Article: Former Agriculture Minister Leonov Released from Prison After Being Granted Amnesty
"Vasily Leonov, Belarus' former agriculture minister, was released from a prison in Orsha, the Vitebsk region, on the evening of October 5 [2000] after being granted amnesty."
"The amnesty was offered to Mr. Leonov because he is over 60 and has served more than half of his 4-year term without violations of discipline."
"On his release, Mr. Leonov went to the village of Kostyukovichi, the Mogilyov region, for the funeral of his brother. The ex-minister is expected in Minsk on October 7. Mr. Leonov was sentenced to 4 years in prison on January 14 after the Supreme Court found him guilty of large-scale embezzlement and bribery."
"The countdown of the ex-minister's prison term began from November 14, 1997, when he was arrested and confronted with charges."
"The ex-minister repeatedly said that his fate had been sealed by the Belarusian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and that his case was politically motivated and tailor-made. He pointed out that he was prosecuted because his attempts to reform the agricultural sector were not welcomed by the authorities."