Parmas's five-year term, which began in February 2020, will end in two months time. Until now, neither the Minister of Justice nor Parmas had publicly said whether he would seek a second term.

Parmas told ER that he met with Pakosta on Monday to discuss the future of the Prosecutor's Office and the possibility of continuing his term.

However, as they disagreed on two fundamental issues, he decided to step down at the end of his term.

Parmas expressed dissatisfaction with how budget cuts have affected the office's operations.

"In my view, the Prosecutor's Office plays a crucial role in ensuring internal security. It is essential to consider the entire criminal justice system as a whole and make equal investments across the system. Otherwise, we risk a situation where capacity is increased in one part of the system but bottlenecks elsewhere negate the overall impact," the prosecutor general said.

"I cannot be satisfied with a situation where, after recognizing the need to enhance the Prosecutor's Office's capacity, these advancements are rolled back due to budget cuts, undermining the office's ability to adequately respond to rising crime and improve its performance in areas like economic crime and asset confiscation, where capabilities have previously been deemed insufficient," he said.

Parmas also proposed that the Prosecutor General's term should be seven years without the possibility of reappointment. This change would have allowed him to continue for two more years to complete the reforms he had initiated.

"The introduction of a longer, single term would allow for the development and implementation of a vision for the institution's future. In recent years, the Prosecutor's Office has undertaken significant reforms, such as establishing a specialized unit to handle economic and corruption-related crimes, directing law enforcement resources toward areas with a tangible impact, and making strides in data-driven management. These changes are still in progress, and achieving the expected results requires time. For this reason, we discussed the possibility of extending my term by two years," he explained.

"However, as it became clear during our discussions that my views and those of policymakers on these two fundamental issues do not align, I decided not to continue as Prosecutor General," Parmas added.

After his term ends, he will return to his previous role as a judge in the Criminal Chamber of the Tallinn Circuit Court.

Minister: Regrettable on a human level

Justice and Digital Affairs Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta told ERR Parmas' decision was "regrettable" and his work deserves recognition for "leadership, ambition, and innovation."

"He has initiated several new activities, such as prioritizing the investigation of economic crimes, which, from the state's perspective, are very resource-intensive but extremely important. He has also taken digitalization issues very seriously, so in that sense, I commend him. On a personal level, I always feel regret when someone leaves," she said.

However, the next prosecutor general should be someone with ideas about how to lead the Prosecutor's Office differently and with fewer resources, the minister said.

Only the police and cybersecurity sectors were spared from the cuts in internal security this year. "This is how the government decided… People [in the Prosecutor's Office] understandably perceive this as unfair," she admitted.

It is not yet known who will replace Parmas.

"The current budget situation requires and demands someone with a real hunger—a determination to view things differently, lead differently, and achieve new goals. Significant changes are needed, particularly in digitalization, which Andres Parmas has already started. But the focus should also be on broader judicial system digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence," Pakosta added.

The minister said she alone could not make the call to extend the prosecutor general's term from five to seven years. The government has refused to do so in the past.

"This discussion should be led by the Ministry of Finance, which oversees the organization of work in the public sector. I do not think the prosecutor general's role is the only position where seven years might be necessary; the same could apply to school principals or heads of certain agencies," she said.

Candidacy for Other Roles and Disputes with Laanet

During his term as prosecutor general, Parmas applied for two other positions.

Last year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs nominated him for a role at the International Criminal Court (ICC), but he was not selected. Earlier this year, Parmas also applied to become the head of the Tallinn Circuit Court, but he was again unsuccessful.

At the same time, tensions surfaced between Parmas and then-Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet (Reform). In March, Laanet initiated an internal oversight process within the Prosecutor's Office to review decisions made between January 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024.

Shortly before this, Parmas told ERR that Laanet had pressured him to resign and systematically discredited the Prosecutor's Office.

In April, after Laanet had stepped down as justice minister, it was revealed that the oversight found no violations in the Prosecutor's Office under Parmas's leadership, and the Ministry of Justice did not launch disciplinary proceedings.

Laanet resigned in mid-March after newspaper Eesti Ekspress reported he had rented an apartment in Tallinn from his wife's son, both during his tenure as justice minister and previously as minister of defense, and had the costs reimbursed by the state.

In September, the Central Criminal Police charged Laanet with fraud.

The Prosecutor's Office told ERR the case file concerning Laanet has now been transferred to the Economic and Corruption Crimes Division.

"We are currently analyzing the evidence gathered during the pretrial investigation, after which the next procedural steps will be determined. At this time, the Prosecutor's Office cannot predict how long the process will take, as additional investigative actions may be required for various reasons," said Olgerd Petersell, a prosecutor in the Economic and Corruption Crimes Division.

This article was updated to add comments from Liisa-Ly Pakosta.

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