Sibul: Sending letter to EU depends on decision of Prosecutor's Office
According to Priit Sibul (Isamaa), who is a member of the Riigikogu's Special Anti-Corruption Committee, the Committee will send a letter to the European Parliament describing the process by which Keit Pentus-Rosimannus received the nomination to become a member of the European Court of Auditors (ECA), if and when the Prosecutor's Office decides to initiate criminal proceedings.
The Prosecutor's Office has until Friday evening to make a decision regarding the matter.
"If the Prosecutor's Office takes a decision and this letter is no longer needed, then there is no reason to send it," said Sibul.
Sibul said, that he would instead support sending the letter so that the relevant decision-makers would have an overview of the different viewpoints related to the situation. "It makes sense to inform the (European) Commission of the processes that have taken place in Estonia, regarding the nomination of this member of the Court of Auditors," he said.
"In the context of these hearings and of the documents available to the (Special Anti-Corruption) Committee, some members suspected that a breach of procedural regulations had occurred," Sibul said.
Committee chair Mart Helme (EKRE) said that four amendments have been made to the original version of the letter, which he presented on Monday.
According to Sibul, the first version of the letter contained too much emotion. "There is no need for the disagreements and political bickering that has been going on between the Reform Party and the EKRE. This is what we have seen in the committee for weeks and there is no need to describe this political process," Sibul said.
"The question now, is whether Estonian law enforcement sees any problem there. If they do, something will be initiated. If they don't, there is no problem and a line will be drawn under the issue," Sibul said.
The committee will meet again on Monday to review the final version and take a decision on whether to approve or reject it.
"Europe is a big and wide, and the members of the commission who are going to listen to Keit Pentus-Rosimannus do not know what doubts, debates, accusations have been leveled out against her person. It is only fair that these national disputes and arguments are known," Helme said.
The date for the verbal hearing of former Keit Pentus-Rosimannus' candidacy as Estonia's new European Court of Auditors (ECA) representative has been set for November 8.
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Editor: Michael Cole
