Committee Demands New Investigation of Residence Permits Affair
A special committee established by Parliament in January submitted a request to the prosecutor's office yesterday to initiate criminal proceedings in relation to last year's residence permits affair.
"The committee decided to turn to the prosecutor's office in order to check certain suspicions,” committee chair, Kalle Laanet, told Eesti Päevaleht. Laanet did not give any more details on the nature of the suspicions at this point.
"Let's just say that to clarify the circumstances of the whole scandal we need to check, in a certain capacity, the facts through a criminal proceeding,” said Laanet.
Public prosecution, which determined last year there had been no criminal violations, now has 10 days to decide whether to launch an investigation.
Last December, journalists exposed a scheme under which IRL's elected officials, a Parliament member and a Tallinn city counselor, procured Estonian residence permits, and therefore EU residency, for wealthy Russian nationals. The two later resigned from their positions and another MP connected to the case was deemed innocent by his political party. As a result of the uproar, two ministers were put to a vote of confidence, which they survived.
Ott Tammik