Prosecutor's office wants to limit service for 'black market' mobile phones

The Office of Belarus's Prosecutor General demands a better performance in settling and preventing the thefts of mobile phones. In January-April 2008, 5,182 mobile phone were stolen. Out of 103.082 reported thefts last year, 21303 cases were associated with the stolen mobile phones. The Office of the Prosecutor General said in a press release that special attention should be paid to the phones with the same identification numbers (IMEI). This could indirectly prove yjay a telephone was stolen and re-programmed.

The Prosecutor General proposes to introduce punshment for illegal re-programming of mobile phones. Re-programming in this case would be regarded as assistance in reselling the stolen phones.

According to the press release, people who bought their mobile phones in the black market "can find themselves in a situation when they will be denied maintenance services". The measure is designed to block the 'black market' of mobile phones. It is yet to be revealed how this mechanism will work, writes Sovietskaya Belorussia