Former Tallinn Councilman Found Guilty of Influence Peddling
On April 28, the Harju County Court convicted Mati Eliste, a former member of Tallinn's City Council, of influence peddling in a case that came to light in 2009.
The 69-year-old was given a fine of 224 euros, and will have to pay an additional 417 euros in court costs. Authorities had earlier confiscated the equivalent of 6,400 euros from Eliste, the court said in a release.
A criminal investigation into Eliste's activities was launched in autumn of 2009 after an Eesti Ekspress article described how he had demanded 7,030 euros from a private person for the approval of detailed plans for a building in the Pirita district, where Eliste then served as chairman of the administrative council.
The money was transferred to a non-profit organization that Eliste ran.
Steve Roman