Kaja Kallasa
Photo. EPA/FILIP SINGER
The company “Stark Logistics”, which is partially owned by Arvo Hallik, the husband of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, has earned approximately 1.5 million euros from business in Russia since 2022, according to the data published by the newspaper “Eesti Päevaleh”.
Most read
Seven products that absolutely should not be consumed by anyone. A cardiologist is horrified by children’s menus in restaurants
VIDEO. “Wagner” mercenaries spread the word: “We’re getting started, get ready for us!”
VIDEO. You don’t see something like this often… A roe deer was hunted on the side of Saldus, which had very strange behavior, only later it was revealed – why
Read other posts
Although Stark Logistics previously reported that it was helping an Estonian company there to close the production plant, the latest annual report shows that there are no plans to close it. On the contrary, the expansion of the company is planned. The resignation of the Prime Minister has been demanded not only by several politicians, but also by leading Estonian media, this information has been collected by the portal lsm.lv.
“Stark Logistics” revenues from operations in Russia reached 1.1 million euros in 2022, and almost 475,000 euros this year. Previously, the company has repeatedly indicated to the media that it was only about some shipments from Russia, helping the Estonian company “Metaprint” located there to close the production plant, reports the Estonian analytical newspaper “Eesti Päevaleh”.
OTHERS ARE CURRENTLY READING
On Thursday evening, Kristjans Krágs, CEO of Stark Logistics, announced in a written comment sent to the media that the company will stop shipping to Russia in September this year.
In the first year of the Ukrainian war, the turnover of “Aeroprom” was slightly higher than the previous year. Therefore, it can be assumed that the same amount of taxes was paid to the Russian state treasury last year as well, assessed the Estonian public media ERR.
‘Postimees’ headline reads: ‘Callas’ time is up’. A contradictory excuse was heard at the press conference. In addition, the prime minister stated that she did not act wrongly and did not understand what she was being accused of.
Meanwhile, “Eesti Päevaleht” wrote that Kallas should submit a resignation request. The media also joked that Kallas, who has been involved in one of the most serious scandals in Estonia in recent times, “is now like a fish tangled in nets and every struggle hurts more and more”.
The President of Estonia expects a detailed explanation from the Prime Minister about the activities of her husband’s company in Russia
Estonian President Alar Karis expects a more detailed explanation from Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in connection with the scandal that broke out due to suspicions that a company partly owned by her husband still continues to operate in Russia, the “Postimees” newspaper reports.
In response to journalists’ questions, the Estonian president admitted that it was sad to talk about it on Ukraine’s Independence Day. He added that the public expects an explanation from the Prime Minister, and when it is given, he will have to consider it and decide on the next course of action in consultation with his advisers.
Karis also said that it is not yet possible to judge the seriousness of the accusations, but he expects the Prime Minister to explain the circumstances of the incident in more detail than before.
He also admitted that there are risks to Estonia’s international reputation in connection with the scandal.
The Estonian president added that there are more and more cases where sanctions are not working, also in Estonia. Such cases should be discussed publicly, because sanctions must work once an agreement has been reached, otherwise the sanctions enforcers look like fools, Karis said.
Kallas reiterated to reporters on Thursday that, in her opinion, the actions of her husband’s company were not unethical.
She stated that she has no connection with her husband’s business, and he is only a minority owner of the logistics company “Stark Logistics”.
“As my husband confirmed, they provide service to only one Estonian company, and that project is also in the final stage. Thus, the company has neither violated the sanctions imposed on Russia nor the unwritten laws,” Kallas said, adding that the company stopped providing logistics services in Russia already in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s repeated invasion of Ukraine at the beginning.
She also emphasized that, in her opinion, “any business activity in Russia should be stopped while Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues.”
“I’ve said it before, and I still believe it, that our companies need to find their moral compass and refrain from doing business that in any way helps the Russian war machine,” Callas said. She said that her husband had informed her that the company’s internal policy was to not even refuel in Russia, so that no euro would remain in the Russian economy.
Although several opposition politicians have expressed their belief that the prime minister should resign in connection with the scandal, the Reform Party she leads insists that there is no government crisis in Estonia and no emergency meeting of the party leadership is planned.
RELATED ARTICLES
It has already been announced that the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Wednesday that the logistics company “Stark Logistics”, partially owned by Kallas’ husband Arvo Hallik, continues to operate in Russia during the war in Ukraine.
Commenting on the raised suspicions, “Stark Logistics” emphasized that it had no Russian customers during the war, but it serves the Estonian customer company “Metaprint”, whose aerosol packaging factory is closing down in Russia, and the last shipment of this customer from Russia will be delivered in September.
Themes
2023-08-25 09:09:54
#Scandal #Estonian #Prime #Minister #Kallas #husbands #company #cooperated #Russia #earning #million
