Foreign intelligence chief to report to Riigikogu on Louis Freeh hiring
Director General of the Foreign Intelligence Board Mikk Marran and Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop will also participate in the extraordinary sessions of the Special Committee on State Budget Control and the Special Committee on Corruption on Monday.
The agreement signed by the Minister of Finance Martin Helme (EKRE) with the US law firm Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan will be discussed at the meetings.
Peterkop will participate in the extraordinary joint session of the Special Committee on State Budget Control and the Special Committee against Corruption starting at 1.15 pm.
Marran has been invited to an extraordinary meeting of the Special Committee on State Budget Control starting at 2 p.m.
This will be followed by an extraordinary joint meeting of the two committees, starting at 2.30 pm.
Helme signed an agreement with the US law firm Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan to provide legal services to the Estonian state in international money laundering investigations. The service will cost €3 million and the contract is for two years.
The deal has proved to be controversial. Newspaper Eesti Päevaleht and opposition politicians have expressed doubts over the usefulness of the agreement for Estonia and Freeh's involvement in Russian money laundering schemes.
Earlier this week a United States Senate report revealed Freeh had several contacts with Russian authorities and a company involved with money laundering. Freeh is a former FBI director.
An investigative published by daily Eesti Päevaleht (link in Estonian) on July 28 made the claim that lawyer Freeh had previously represented Russian company Prevezon, which had allegedly laundered around €6 million via the now-defunct Estonian branch of Danske Bank.
Helme rejected EPL's claims, calling the article slanderous. He added that the agreement brought a front-rank U.S. law firm, which has also worked with the U.S. government, and with experience in international financial crime representation, on board for Estonia.
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Editor: Helen Wright