Estonia’s Minister of Justice, Kalle Laanet, resigned on Saturday amidst corruption allegations that have emerged in the country. Laanet made his resignation announcement following discussions with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, but he will continue to serve as Minister of Justice until a new candidate is appointed by the Prime Minister.
Two key allegations regarding Laanet’s conduct in office have been highlighted by local media. It is alleged that Laanet has been residing in a central Tallinn apartment belonging to his stepson, and ostensibly using ministry funds for its compensation. These allegations indicate that during his terms as both Minister of Defence and recently as Minister of Justice, he habitually submitted for and received reimbursements from ministry funds to offset expenses associated with the apartment, with government funds received for this purpose totaling to €12,000 ($13,077) over his tenure in office.
The revelations about Laanet’s improper actions were brought to light after the initiation of a new regulation in Estonia in early 2023. This regulation requires officials seeking housing cost reimbursements to attest that their lease agreements do not involve persons associated with them, as defined by the Anti-Corruption Act. The term ‘associated person’ encapsulates an official’s biological, adopted or step-children, as well as any company where an associated person holds at least a ten percent ownership interest or possesses a managerial position.
The implicated entity in this case is the real estate company OÜ JKG, whose sole shareholder is Laanet’s stepson. Despite the allegations, Laanet has continuously denied any wrongdoing, and upheld his innocence. That being said, these allegations have initiated an investigation by the Central Criminal Police.
Laanet is also embroiled in a second allegation involving Estonia’s Prosecutor General, Andres Parmas, where he has been accused of habitually interfering in criminal proceedings and pressuring Parmas to resign. In a recent interview on Thursday, Prosecutor General Parmas addressed these accusations and revealed that he had documented his conversations with Minister Laanet.
Kalle Laanet, a member of the Estonian liberal-democratic Reform Party, had served as Minister of Justice since April 2023. Prior to his role as Minister of Justice, he was the Minister of Defence from 2021 to 2022.
For more details, please visit the full article here.