Justice Minister Says He Would Resign if Indicted
Justice Minister Kristen Michal has said it would justified for him to resign if the suspicion of party-related wrongdoing progresses to the stage of a formal accusation.
In a press release, Michal said that his questioning by authorities yesterday was his first opportunity to give his side of the story in light of charges made by fellow Reform Party member Silver Meikar regarding covert donations.
"It is in my own interests as well as those of the public and all parties that clarity be brought rapidly to this matter. I repeat what I said before - that if I have to continue the legal dispute in court, I consider it ethical to leave the post of minister," he said.
Michal said he had provided an "unequivocal" rebuttal of the suspicions surrounding him.
He said he had maintained silence on the matter to ensure impartiality of the investigation and called on the media to refrain from pressure tactics.
Michal, along with MP Kalev Lillo, were formally named suspects in an investigation into alleged violations of financing of the Reform Party.
The scandal started in May, when former MP Silver Meikar wrote an article in the opinion section of the newspaper Postimees. Meikar said he had accepted about 7,300 euros from others and donated it under his own name to the Reform Party's bank account. Meikar alleged that Michal, the party's secretary general, had asked him to move the funds and that Lillo had provided him with the money.
Kristopher Rikken