Laanet resigned on Saturday after newspaper Eesti Ekspress reported he was renting an apartment from a family member paid for by the state.

Politicians can claim rent for an apartment in the capital if they do not live here. However, renting from a family member is not allowed under anti-corruption rules.

On Monday, the ISS told ERR that Laanet was last checked in 2019, when he was a member of the Riigikogu and a member of the National Defense Committee.  Under the law, every Riigikogu member appointed to the committee is checked.

The 2019 security check did not identify grounds for denying him access, said Marta Tuul, ISS spokesperson.

A further check was not carried out as the law does not allow continuous checks to be carried out on ministers and Riigikogu members, Tuul said. 

This did not stop Laanet from declaring his rental agreement himself.

"Regarding the reimbursement of housing expenses of a member of the government, the procedure requires the member of the government to certify that the rental agreement has not been concluded with a related person as defined in the Anti-Corruption Act. According to the Anti-Corruption Act, a public official may not divert public funds to persons related to them," Tuul said.

On Monday,  Central Criminal Police launched a misdemeanor procedure against Laanet. 

Initially, Laanet argued he had done nothing wrong, but after speaking with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform), he announced his resignation.

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