On Monday, the Riigikogu’s Center Party faction will hand over a draft decision to form an investigative commission with the participation of the husband of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to find out the circumstances of the company’s business activities towards Russia.
Chairman of the faction Tanel Kiige according to the deputies of the Center Party decided at the autumn seminar held in Pärnumaa that the formation of the investigative commission should not be delayed, because Estonia has been in a serious crisis of confidence and government for several weeks.
“The reaction of the public and various opinion surveys clearly show that the Estonian people expect much more comprehensive explanations from the Prime Minister and the assumption of political responsibility. Unfortunately, there have been no comprehensive answers to the questions so far, which in turn has further aggravated the crisis of confidence,” said Tanel Kiik. “Therefore, I invite all parliamentary parties to support the formation of a separate investigative committee to create the necessary clarity.”
The vice-chairman of the Center Party stated that the investigative committee has greater powers to accurately determine the circumstances than the various committees of the Riigikogu. “The investigative committee has the right to summon persons before the committee and to demand data and documents necessary for the performance of its tasks,” Tanel Kiik clarified. “At the same time, the invited party is obliged to appear, give explanations and answer questions. Failure to appear at the invitation of the investigative committee without a valid reason, failure to provide data or documents, or refusal to provide explanations or answer questions is punishable by a fine of up to 300 fine units.”
The investigative committee must provide answers to at least the following questions:
- When did the Prime Minister find out that the company with the participation of her husband was doing business in Russia? When and by whom was the decision made to end it?
- Were the Estonian security authorities aware of the referred business activity, and have they drawn the Prime Minister’s attention to it and the accompanying risks?
- Under what circumstances and conditions did the Prime Minister give a total of 370,000 euros in loans to her husband’s company?
- Was the money borrowed by the Prime Minister used to promote business activities towards Russia and how much interest income did the Prime Minister earn on the loan?
- What conclusions and changes in legislation must we make in order to avoid similar situations undermining Estonia’s foreign and security policy in the future?
