Minister of Justice Madis Timpson (Reform) at a press conference where the results of the supervisory control were presented said, "At this moment, I do not see the need to initiate disciplinary proceedings." While Timpson acknowledged that rules were broken, he said that disciplinary action would not improve the situation. "Today, my answer is that I will not initiate [proceedings]," referencing the issue that Parmas did not timely inform Laanet about his side activities, which were related to his academic work and candidacy for the International Criminal Court.

"The oversight committee did not detect any deviations in the management of the Prosecutor's Office that merit attention from the standpoint of legality and appropriateness," the ministry also noted in the final summary of the oversight.

"The main conclusion for me," Timpson said, "is that the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office need to truly work together, not just cooperate."

According to the summary, the Prosecutor's Office has undergone changes and developments in recent years to meet societal expectations, such as the creation of a new district focusing on economic and corruption crimes. The institution has processes in place for management, but in some situations, these are not functioning effectively.

Therefore, the ministry offered solutions to improve the situation, said Laidi Surva, deputy secretary general for criminal policy and a member of the oversight committee.

The ministry believes that the priorities set by the prosecution for handling criminal cases need to be regularly reviewed. It is also important to address cases that may have lower priority but where the circumstances are clear and the perpetrator is known.

"At the same time, there must be the courage to terminate proceedings that clearly have no prospects. Decisions must be explained in a way that is understandable to the parties involved and to the public," said Surva.

Minister Timpson emphasized the need for more open communication with the public. He noted that while public communication is not a universal problem, there are prosecutors who do not wish to explain the rationale behind their decisions to the public. "Running away is not nice!" he stressed.

The report also highlights the benefits of using teamwork more extensively, where more complex and voluminous criminal cases are handled by multiple prosecutors, and in particularly difficult cases, prosecutors are assisted by a consultant.

"The speed and quality of proceedings can also be enhanced by increasing the organizational responsibility of the Prosecutor's Office compared to the individual responsibility of prosecutors, of which teamwork is a good example," Timpson emphasized.

In relation to the management of the Prosecutor's Office, the ministry recommends streamlining the system for assessing and implementing changes at various management levels, strengthening data analysis to improve management quality and creating a comprehensive picture of the Prosecutor's Office's resource needs to fulfill its legal duties.

Additionally, the ministry made suggestions for making the appointment procedures of the prosecutor general and prosecutors more transparent. The criteria and process for appointing the prosecutor general could be made similar to the selection process for top state officials, and it might also be worth considering changing the recruitment and competition organization and career system of the Prosecutor's Office, the summary suggests.

Furthermore, attention should also be paid to preventing burnout among the Prosecutor's Office staff.

Laanet and Parmas conflict the backdrop

In early March, a sharp conflict between then Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet (Reform) and Prosecutor General Andres Parmas came to public attention. Parmas claimed that Laanet interfered with the Prosecutor's Office's work and pressured him to resign.

On March 11, Laanet signed an order to conduct an official oversight within the Prosecutor's Office. Minister Laanet set April 15 as the deadline for presenting the summary of the supervisory control results.

On March 6, Eesti Ekspress reported that Kalle Laanet, both during his tenure as minister of defense from 2021 to 2022 and as minister of justice starting in 2023, had requested and received compensation from the state for renting an apartment, despite the fact that he was renting from a company owned by a relative, which is not permitted. That same Saturday evening, following a conversation with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Laanet announced his resignation due to the allegations made in the press.

On March 18, the Central Criminal Police initiated a misdemeanor procedure against Laanet.

Madis Timpson, the former mayor of Viljandi, was appointed as the new Minister of Justice.

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