Isamaa lawyer: no court ruling before 2027 elections — ERR News

In Estonia, a court ruling in the criminal case against the opposition party Isamaa will not be issued before the Riigikogu elections in March 2027, the party’s lawyer Jaanus Tehver believes, ERR News reports.

According to Tehver, the prosecutor’s office has not yet decided whether to bring formal charges, although the lawyer expects such a decision soon. He said he would no longer submit motions to the prosecutor’s office and would wait for further procedural steps.

Suspicions over donations

In November last year, the prosecutor’s office informed Isamaa that it was suspected of accepting a prohibited donation worth €110,234 between November 2020 and April 2024. According to the investigation, the total value of prohibited donations, mainly advertising services, amounted to about €330,000, of which the party allegedly accepted €110,234.

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Isamaa and the other suspects deny the investigation’s claims. Tehver previously said that the suspicion concerns the party’s possible benefit from coordinated actions by major donor Parvel Pruunsild, Tõnis Palts and the non-profit organization MTÜ Isamaalised, which paid for advertising and analytical services.

A preliminary hearing may take place before the elections

In Tehver’s view, at best, a preliminary hearing in the case may take place before the elections. He noted that the case could be referred to court before the vote, but the court’s position on the charges will not be known before the elections.

The prosecutor’s office said the defense had been given until next Monday to review the evidence materials. After that, prosecutors will decide on further action. Prosecutor’s office spokesperson Kauri Sinkevicius noted that if the case is referred to court, the court itself will be responsible for the further course of proceedings and will be able to take the approaching elections into account when scheduling hearings.