Lohvinau bookshop raised almost entire sum for penalty payment

About 1,000 persons have taken part in raising a sum of $67,000.

Lohvinau bookshop has raised almost the entire sum for paying the fine, Euroradio informs.

“According to our estimates (and we have assets in different places), and according to guarantees of charity providers, we have about 90% of the sum,” Ihar Lohvinau said.

The book publisher plans to start payments today, however it would be difficult to pay the entire sum quickly because of technical problems. A consideration of a request about a delay of payment for half a eyar is scheduled for March 15.

About 500 persons have brought their donations directly to the shop, and about the same number used a special website. The money was raised for about two months. Donations were received from 27 countries situated in three different continents.

“We are very grateful to all who had been helping us. We want to stage a big event for everyone. Now we are leaving for the Book market in Leipzig, and when we return, we are going to organize something interesting,” the book publisher said in the comment.

We remind that on January 9, 2015 the economic court of Minsk decided that Lohvinau Bookshop was to pay a fine for trade without a licence and to return the “illegal income”. It was Br967 million in total. In 2014 the shop applied for a book selling licence 6 times. Every time they got a refusal.