Levikom files criminal complaint against SDE MP Katri Raik
Levikom Eesti OU has filed a report of criminal offense against Social Democratic Party (SDE) MP and chair of the Riigikogu's anti-corruption select committee Katri Raik.
Levikom is asking for the prosecutor's office to launch criminal proceedings against Raik on the basis of influence peddling, counterfeiting or falsification of documents by officials in connection with falsification of the minutes of the committee's January 16 sitting on the 5G frequency competition.
"By law, the prosecutor's office has 10 days to examine and analyze the content of the report of criminal offense and, within that time, is obligated to make a decision on whether or not to launch criminal proceedings," Olja Kivistik, spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor General, told BNS.
A sitting of the Riigikogu's anti-corruption select committee took place on January 16 and was attended by Siim Sikkut, deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Tonu Nirk, head of the department for communication at the ministry, and Kaur Kajak, director general of the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority. The sitting was driven by an application of Levikom Eesti OU regarding the 5G frequency competition. All those invited to the committee sitting are involved in the preparations for the 5G frequency competition and are within the circle of persons making decisions related to that.
"The minutes of the sitting of the anti-corruption select committee were disclosed on January 27 and it was revealed upon inspection of the minutes that they did not contain the actual statements made at the sitting, meaning that wordings have been arbitrarily distorted or that important statements have been left out altogether. By distorting the wordings in such a way and selectively reflecting them in the minutes, attempts have been made to conceal the corrupt and cartel-like conduct associated with the granting of 5G frequency licenses," Toomas Peek, chairman of the management board of Levikom Eesti OU, told BNS.
Peek said former SDE minister Rene Tammist on January 29, 2019 signed a regulation for the organization of a 5G frequency competition, which is unjustifiably restricting the freedom to conduct a business and perpetuating a substantial part of the national frequency resource for foreign companies Telia, Tele2 and Elisa jointly dominating the market, and added that Levikom has contested the aforementioned competition regulation in court.
Levikom has proposed to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications how resources could be shared to the satisfaction of all parties so that current mobile operators could maximize the use of frequencies for mobile communications without restricting the freedom to conduct a business.
"Levikom's proposal would also help speed up the construction of the last mile and help to implement the latest 5G modification the fastest, which would accelerate the development of the Estonian economy. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has declined to discuss Levikom's proposal, thus, in Levikom's opinion, representing the interests of the foreign companies jointly dominating the market," Peek said.
Katri Raik (SDE) told ERR on Tuesday afternoon she did not understand where Levikom's allegations came from because the company did not attend the hearing in January. She called the claims incomprehensible.
Raik said members of the commission - one member from each political party - have always had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the draft protocol before it was signed and made public. "I have always followed this procedure as chairman of the committee. There were no comments on the specific draft protocol," Raik noted.
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Editor: Helen Wright