MINSK -- The Belarussian KGB has detained the head of state oil-processing firm Belneftekhim on suspicion of theft and abuse of office, the Prosecutor General's Office said Wednesday.

Yegor Livai, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said several private businessmen had been detained as well. He declined to give any further details on the case, saying Borovsky had not yet been charged.

The news comes at an awkward time for Belarus, which this month announced plans to list shares in its top refineries and chemical plants abroad by the end of 2007 to gauge their fair value before stake sales to investors.