Key Player in VEB Case Evades Questioning
Businessman Aleksander Matt, who has been described as a key figure in the VEB Fund affair, says he has refused to be questioned by Parliament's special investigative committee.
Matt said in an Eesti Ekspress article published yesterday, titled "The 32 million dollars was my money," that he would gladly answer to law enforcement authorities, but that he doesn't believe it is Parliament's place to investigate the matter.
MP Rainer Vakra, who chairs the committee, took issue with the assertion that the case is somehow beyond the scope of Parliament, saying it was a matter of public interest. Vakra told uudised.err.ee that officials had tried to reach Matt, but that he had not responded. They will now discuss the possibility of issuing a fine.
"TSL International, which is connected to Aleksander Matt, did not have any claims against the frozen assets in Russia's VEB prior to the surfacing of the falsified letter," Vakra said. "It is evident even from the Bank of Estonia audit that the falsified letter compiled for the benefit of Matt was a planned activity that resulted in a situation where Matt received ownership of claims valued at 32 million dollars which could he later realize."