Appeal Rejected - Galojan Headed to Jail
Anna-Maria Galojan, the socialite, former Reform Party poster girl and one-time MP candidate convicted last May of stealing thousands of euros from a prominent NGO and using it for personal shopping, will have to serve her five-month sentence after all.
On January 18, the Supreme Court threw out an appeal filed by Galojan's defense lawyer, Sven Sillar, thereby upholding the initial decision by the Harju County Court, uudised.err.ee reported.
That court found that Galojan had spent as much as 60,000 euros belonging to the European Movement Estonia on a number of shopping sprees from June to September of 2007, when she headed the non-profit organization. The purchases included clothing, jewelry, luxury accessories and footwear, as well as trips to beauty salons and travel.
Galojan was also given a 17-month suspended sentence and four years probation after her conviction for abuse of office and embezzlement.
Steve Roman