The Harju County Court found Kersti Kracht guilty of violating procedural restrictions and sentenced her to six months in prison, crediting time already served in pretrial detention. As a result, four months and 26 days of the sentence remain to be served.

Kracht was convicted of making decisions between 2019 and 2021 in favor of the law firm TGS Baltic while serving as an adviser to then-Minister of Finance Martin Helme (EKRE). According to the court, Kracht should have recused herself from discussions in which she had a conflict of interest.

The prison sentence will not be enforced in full if Kracht does not commit a new intentional crime during a one-year probation period, which will begin on March 31, 2025.

Kracht was acquitted of all other charges.

The court also acquitted Hillar Teder, Toomas Tamm and Jüri Põld of the crimes they had been accused of.

According to the charges, Kracht allegedly solicited a bribe from Teder, who in turn was accused of promising a large sum in bribes. Prosecutors claimed Teder offered the money in exchange for Kracht using her position as ministerial adviser to secure favorable decisions for the Porto Franco real estate development in connection with KredEx crisis support measures.

Kracht was also accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from businessman Toomas Tamm, who faced charges of offering a bribe.

Teder, Kracht and Põld were charged with entering into a money laundering agreement, while Põld was additionally accused of aiding in large-scale bribery.

Kracht also faced a separate charge of large-scale procedural misconduct. According to prosecutors, while serving as an adviser to Minister Helme, she took part in decisions that benefited the law firm TGS Baltic. The court found her guilty in this regard, ruling that Kracht had a connection to the firm and should have recused herself from the decision to commission legal analyses from TGS Baltic.

However, the court found no evidence of illegal agreements between Kracht and either Tamm or Teder. It also found no proof that Tamm or Teder offered bribes or that Kracht accepted them. As a result, Põld's alleged role in facilitating bribery was also deemed unproven.

Kracht was ordered to pay €1,329 in procedural costs.

Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the state is required to reimburse procedural costs in the event of an acquittal. Therefore, the court ruled that legal fees must be reimbursed in the following amounts: €138,497 to Kracht, €120,246 to Tamm, €125,316 to Teder and €57,075 to Põld.

The verdict has not yet entered into force. The decision may be appealed to the Tallinn Circuit Court within 30 days. 

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