Court delays decision in UT Library ex-director criminal case
The Tartu County Court has delayed making a decision in the criminal case of Martin Hallik, former director of the University of Tartu Library accused of sexual offenses.
The court was scheduled to deliver the decision in the case on Monday, but took a time extension and has rescheduled the announcement for March 18.
The prosecutor's office on February 7 applied for Hallik to be found guilty and sought for a real prison sentence to be meted out to him.
Tatjana Tamm, district prosecutor at the South District Prosecutor's Office, has previously said that the accused made use of his position of power on two occasions to compel the victim to engage in sexual intercourse or other act of sexual nature.
Hallik's attorney, Oliver Naas, has previously stressed that Hallik is not accused of rape. Hallik has denied guilt throughout the process.
The case of Hallik is handled behind closed doors to protect the victim's privacy, and for that reason the detailed content of the charges will not be disclosed.
Hallik has been charged with two counts under the section of the Penal Code dealing with compelling a person to engage in sexual intercourse or other act of sexual nature by taking advantage of the dependency of the victim on the offender.
The former library director last fall submitted a complaint to the labor dispute committee regarding the decision of his dismissal. The committee declared the dismissal null and void and ordered the University of Tartu to pay a financial compensation in the amount of over €100,000 to Hallik.
The University of Tartu appealed the committee's decision. The appeal was satisfied and the decision annulled by the Tartu Circuit Court in January.
--
Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright