Estonian PM Announces Resignation Due to Corruption Scandal
OREANDA-NEWS. According to RIA Novosti, the Prime Minister of Estonia, the leader of the Center Party, Jüri Ratas, announced that he was resigning because of the corruption scandal that affected the party.
Ratas wrote on his Facebook page: “In politics, in order to resolve difficult situations, you have to make very difficult choices. In the current situation, based on my values, I made the decision to resign from the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia. This decision was made after consultations with the board and faction of the Center Party, as well as with closest colleagues. Different solutions seemed possible, but only one of them is correct. "
The Estonian Prosecutor's Office and the Security Police (KAPO) on Tuesday raised suspicions of a crime against the Center Party, centrist general secretary Mikhail Korb, adviser to finance minister Kersti Kracht, entrepreneur Hillar Teder, and two other individuals whose names have not yet been released.
Teder and Korb are suspected of reaching an agreement that Teder will donate up to a million euros to the Center Party before the local elections, and Korb will use his influence with the Tallinn Mayor's Office to give Teder's affiliate Porto Franco the opportunity to build access roads to the Tallinn construction site at a preferential rate price.
Kersti Kracht, an adviser to the finance minister, is suspected of having agreed with Teder to use her influence in the finance ministry so that a government loan would be approved at Porto Franco's request. In addition, Krakht allegedly promised to achieve large benefits for issuing a loan. According to the suspicion, Krakht for these services should have received a bribe from Teder, the transfer of which did not take place due to the detention of Teder and Krakht by KAPO employees.
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