Watchdog orders Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna to pay for influencer's India visit
The Party Financing Surveillance Committee (ERJK) decided Thursday that Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) secured an illicit donation when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid for an influencer to accompany Tsahkna on a trip to India. The politician will have to pay back the money, committee chair Liisa Oviir said.
"The influencer said himself that his work served two purposes. Frist, to showcase the visit but also to provide a glimpse into Tsahkna's person. That is why we find it constitutes an illicit donation because it was paid for by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Legal persons are not allowed to sponsor politicians," Oviir told ERR after the committee met Thursday. "We have issued a precept for Tsahkna to return the illicit donation."
ERR has previously reported on how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid the travel expenses of influencer Karl-Gustav Kurn, including his plane tickets, hotel stay, visa and travel insurance for a total of €3,000, who accompanied Tsahkna as part of his official delegation.
Tsahkna said during Thursday's government press conference that it is the first time he's hearing of the ERJK decision and that he will need to analyze the precept before commenting.
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Editor: Mait Ots, Marcus Turovski
