Party financing watchdog finds Jana Toom violated Political Parties Act

Liisa Oviir, head of the Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee (ERJK), has sent a letter to European Parliament elections candidates to remind them that EU funds must not be used for personal campaigns. The committee has launched proceedings in the case of MEP Jana Toom (Center).
The committee has also been approached regarding Urmas Paet (Reform) and Sven Mikser (SDE) with suggestions that they've had campaign posters or works of writing produced which bear the logos of their European Parliament groups, suggesting that the latter have provided the funding.
"But because the MEPs in question have not confirmed as much, we cannot say anything before we've asked for the information and gotten a reply. Looking at the circumstances, there have probably been more than a single case," Oviir said.
She said that the ERJK will convene again on Thursday which is when it can be decided whether to bring proceedings in the cases of Paet and Mikser.
Content marketing involving Urmas Paet could also be seen in the Postimees newspaper, with the Renew Europe logo printed on top of the page.

But Paet told ERR that the European Parliament group's money has not been used for campaigning.
"It is a foreign and EU policy analysis and an effort to introduce the work of the European Parliament, which I have pursued all these years," Paet said regarding content marketing in Postimees.
Oviir confirmed that the ERJK has launched proceedings regarding Jana Toom.
"Jana Toom has admitted that Renew Europe is funding her campaign. We have sent her questions, asking her to clarify these circumstances. And if it is true, to return the money," Oviir noted.
On Thursday, Oviir sent a memorandum to European Parliament elections candidates pointing out that the Political Parties Act does not allow EU money to be used for personal campaigns. If something like that has occurred, it will be classified as an illicit donation and will have to be returned.
"If you have received advertising from a European-level party or European Parliament group as part of the upcoming European Parliament elections that you or your party have not been charged for, it should be paid for to avoid violating the Political Parties Act. Otherwise, it constitutes an illicit donation from a legal person, which the committee can order returned," the memo read.
"We decided to draw up the memo so that all European Parliament members would review their affairs and cancel or return payments as necessary. If we get confirmation this has been done, there will not be anything to process," Oviir told ERR.
"We expect that people do not want to break the law. And it seems to me that most of what we're dealing with here has been born out of ignorance," she added.
The European Parliament elections will take place June 3-9 this year.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Marcus Turovski