Tallinna TV suspends Mart Ummelas
Tallinna TV (TTV) suspended Mart Ummelas from his job as editor at the TV station on Thursday in connection with a criminal investigation in which Ummelas has been named as a suspect.
Toomas Raag, member of TTV's supervisory board, said that Ummelas has been suspended from his job, initially until Jan. 15.
Ummelas was arrested together with the city-owned TV station's CEO Toomas Lepp on Wednesday morning in connection with an suspected embezzlement case; they were released later that evening.
The North District Prosecutor's Office does not intend to seek custody for Lepp. Spokespeople for the prosecutor's office told BNS on Thursday afternoon that while Lepp remains under arrest, he will be released by Friday morning at the latest.
In addition to Lepp and Ummmelas, police arrested another two people who are not TTV employees who in connection with the same investigation; one legal peson has been declared suspect as well.
The actions taken on Wednesday were the first public procedural acts under the criminal investigation launched at the end of June in which the large-scale embezzlement of TTV funds was investigated.
According to initial allegations, Lepp, over a period of several years, had TTV pay the monthly invoices presented to it by companies linked to him for services not actually rendered. According to the prosecutor, there are grounds to believe that the damages caused to TTV could amount to a couple hundred thousand euros.
TTV is a television station belonging to the Tallinn city government via a foundation of the same name.
Editor: Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS