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| - Belarusian authorities on Thursday detained President Alexander Lukashenko's main rival in August's election, Viktor Babaryko, on suspicion of financial crimes, the head of the state control committee said. "Babaryko is detained because he was the organiser and leader of illegal activities, (and) tried to influence witness testimony," committee chief Ivan Tertel told reporters. Babaryko, a 56-year-old former banker, is seeking to challenge strongman Lukashenko in the presidential election on August 9. He formerly headed Belgazprombank, a Belarus subsidiary of Russian energy giant Gazprom. His detention was announced after police earlier Thursday searched his home and took Babaryko and his son for questioning. Their lawyers were prevented from accessing the premises, campaign spokesman Gleb Germanchuk told AFP. National television reported that around 20 people were detained in connection with investigations linked to Belgazprombank, and some were testifying against Babaryko. Last week investigators raided the offices of Belgazprombank and launched probes into tax dodging and money laundering against current and former bankers. Law enforcement authorities in the former Soviet country have cracked down hard on would-be opposition candidates ahead of the election in which Lukashenko is vying for a sixth term. The run-up to the vote has seen a flurry of opposition activity and the detention of prominent figures. Belarus opposition leader Mikola Statkevich was sentenced to 15 days in jail in early June as dozens of activists were held by the authorities. Statkevich was jailed for another 15 days on Monday, his wife said. Another opposition activist, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a vlogger who calls Lukashenko "the cockroach", has been jailed on public order charges. Authorities have opened a criminal investigation against Tikhanovsky and his supporters. Lukashenko, a 65-year-old former collective farm director, has ruled Belarus since 1994 and has raised the possibility of serving a further two terms. He has branded opposition activists "bands of criminals" who want to disrupt the election. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an international election and war monitor, has not recognised any polls in Belarus as free and fair since 1995. tk-as/dl
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