Daily: Prosecutor's Office considering criminal proceedings against care home

Prosecutor General Astrid Asi told news outlet Õhtuleht that the Prosecutor's Office has begun an investigation into whether there are sufficient grounds to open criminal proceedings against the Pihlakodu nursing home in relation to a rape case. The Prosecutor's Office had previously taken the view that there was insufficient evidence the rape caused harm to the health of the nursing home's clients.
Asked by a journalist why Pihlakodu has escaped criminal prosecution, Asi said the Prosecutor's Office is currently looking into the matter and analyzing whether there are sufficient grounds to open criminal proceedings.
"We have asked for further information over the past week and are currently waiting for the answers. When we receive them, we will be able to decide whether there are grounds for proceedings," Asi told Estonian news outlet Õhtuleht.
Asi declined to say who the Prosecutor's Office is requesting further information from, in the interests of a possible future investigation.
Eesti Ekspress reported on April 9 that although a criminal investigation revealed there were more than two victims in the case, at the Pihlakodu Tabasalu care home near Tallinn, the Prosecutor's Office had not found the care facility to be at fault.
According to a report on ETV investigative show "Pealtnägija," there are believed to have been 8 victims.
The crime itself alone will be discussed in court, as, according to the prosecutor's office, there is insufficient evidence that the sexual crime caused any health damage to the victims, who suffer from dementia.
Arika Lepp, the prosecutor who led the investigation, also told Eesti Ekspress: "Not every non-consensual sexual act necessarily causes mental and physical health damage."
Theposition take by the Prosecutor's Office in the case has caused great outrage in Estonian society and has been heavily criticized members of the public as well as legal scholars and lawyers.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Michael Cole
Source: Õhtuleht, Eesti Ekspress