Center Party members that used city funds for self-advertisement ordered to pay money back
Center Party members Priit Kutser, Karin Tammemägi and Jaanus Mutli will be required to pay money back to the City of Tallinn that they spent on self-advertisement preceding the 2013 local elections.
The Supreme Court of Estonia rejected Kutser, Tammemägi and Mutli’s appeals in cassation on Monday, due to which the court judgments against them entered into force.
In accordance with the Estonian Supervisory Committee on Party Financing’s (ERJK) Oct. 23, 2014 injunction, former Põhja-Tallinn City District Elder Karin Tammemägi must pay 268 euros and 80 cents, former Põhja-Tallinn Deputy City District Elder Priit Kutser 1,234 euros and 80 cents and former Deputy Mayor Jaanus Mutli 3,667 euros back to the City of Tallinn.
The ERJK investigated an advertisement put up in the city preceding the 2013 local elections promoting the opening of Tallinn’s Hiiu Stadium and featuring longtime party chairman Edgar Savisaar, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Arvo Sarapuu and Mutli, as well as Kutser’s advertisement for the opening of a sports complex and Tammemägi’s advertisement for a Nordic walking workout program.
The total cost of the Hiiu Stadium advertisements was 11,000 euros, which was paid for from the City of Tallinn’s sports and youth agency budget and of which one third, or 3,667 euros, was already returned to the city by Sarapuu, spurring State Prosecutor Laura Vaik to terminate Sarapuu’s case for practical reasons last month.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Estonia likewise dismissed Savisaar’s appeal of the administrative and circuit court judgments dismissing his appeal of the injunction issued by the ERJK regarding his use of prohibited donations in an election campaign, which means that he is required to reimburse over 116,000 euros of the capital city’s money.
Editor: Editor: Aili Vahtla