Discussed at Wednesday's hearing in the Port of Tallinn corruption trial was a request by defense lawyer Toomas Pikamäe to terminate the criminal proceedings against Sven Honga and Keskkonnahoolduse OÜ, who have been charged with giving a bribe.

"The Prosecutor's Office considers the statute of limitations in accordance with the Penal Code not to have been reached yet," said Kairi Küngas, a public relations adviser at the Prosecutor's Office. "The trial was delayed at the beginning of the year as Toivo Promm, who was accused of mediating a bribe, was ill. The Prosecutor's Office finds that this also suspended the statute of limitations of the criminal offense."

Thus, she added, the criminal proceedings against Sven Honga and Keskkonnateenuse OÜ can expire on November 29, 2022 — ten years from the time the crime was completed.

While Thursday's hearing has been canceled, the trial is slated to continue in Harju County Court next week, with hearings scheduled for November 22, 23 and 24.

Dating back to 2015, the seven-year Port of Tallinn criminal case has involved witness testimony from some 70 witnesses and a case file involving a total of 71 volumes of approximately 200-250 pages each. Harju County Court spokesperson Viivika Siplane told ERR in June that no verdict is expected this year either.

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