Justice Minister Steps Down
Justice Minister Kristen Michal has resigned, having endured a political scandal for more than half a year and being cleared by a criminal investigation in October.
"I am leaving to protect the Reform Party's and the government's ability to work. It is my own personal decision. I am not departing due to guilt. The Reform Party's politics have not been and are not for sale,“ Michal told journalists.
"I am leaving because [...] I see a need for important changes in the field of justice, but making them has been deliberately hindered due to attacks against myself.“
The scandal leading to the resignation emerged in May, when a former Reform Party member alleged that Michal had asked him to transfer cash of an unknown origin into the party's bank account. Michal has denied the allegation and has until now resisted calls for his resignation, although he said he would step down if criminally charged.
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip had voiced support for the minister.
"I am convinced that the attempted incrimination of the justice minister - the prosecutor has unambiguously confirmed that there is no basis for an accusation, but these accusations which continue to live their own lives in the media - cannot be the reason for a resignation," Ansip said.
CORRECTION: Due to a technical error, the first sentence of the story may have suggested that Michal admitted wrongdoing to prosecutors; he has vehemently denied a role in covert party financing.