New crime episode could be added to Savisaar's graft probe
A new crime episode could be added to the probe into Center Party chairman Edgar Savisaar who is under suspicion of bribe-taking and has because of that been suspended from the office of mayor of Tallinn, the daily Postimees says.
Postimees says that new information and another crime suspicion which according to the paper could be connected with Savisaar's mysterious Swiss bank account are expected in the case.
The Office of the Prosecutor General has since the end of 2014 been handling a criminal case opened by the Internal Security Service already in February 2011, looking into Savisaar's connection with the Swiss family foundation Arsai Investment into whose bank account Alexander Kofkin, one of the businessmen suspected of having bribed Savisaar, has according to the paper transferred large sums of money.
"According to suspicions Savisaar concealed in the Swiss bank assets obtained through corruption," Postimees says but underlines that thus far nobody has been declared suspect in this episode.
The Internal Security Service on Sept. 22, 2015 detained Savisaar as a suspect for repeatedly accepting bribes in 2014 and 2015 in assets and favors for himself as well as for a third party for the total value of several hundred thousand euros. Besides Savisaar, six persons are official suspects in the proceeding: prominent Estonian businessman Hillar Teder, owner of Silikaat Grupp Vello Kunman, his adviser, former top politician Villu Reiljan, major owner of the construction group Rand & Tuulberg Aivar Tuulberg, businessman Alexander Kofkin, and chairman of the Tallinn city council Kalev Kallo.
Source: BNS