Ida‑Virumaa Vocational Education Center director Hendrik Agur suspected of fraud
Hendrik Agur, director of the Ida‑Virumaa Vocational Education Center (IVKHK), has been formally named a suspect in fraud committed as a public official. According to the suspicion, Agur submitted false information to receive compensation for using his personal car.
The Prosecutor's Office confirmed that Agur is suspected of fraud as a public official.
"According to the suspicion, Agur submitted expense‑compensation requests to the Ministry of Education and Research for nearly a year starting in August 2025, claiming reimbursement for personal car use on trips that did not actually take place. The initial suspicion is that he requested compensation amounting to €4,500. He has since repaid the damage caused to the ministry," said lead prosecutor Daniel Toom.
As the criminal investigation is ongoing and evidence collection continues, both the time period covered by the suspicion and the estimated damage amount may still be clarified.
Agur told ERR that he misunderstood the nature of the compensation and has now repaid it.
"The suspicion is justified, and in summary, I submitted false information," Agur said.
"From the beginning, I misunderstood the nature of the car‑use compensation and treated it as part of my salary. But that understanding was incorrect, and I have now repaid the compensation in full," he said, adding that he is cooperating fully with the police.
On Tuesday, Agur sent a letter to colleagues, noting that media coverage about him will likely appear soon, concerning the personal car‑use compensation he received as a school director.
"During job interviews with the school's governing body before I started, I misunderstood the concept of personal car‑use compensation and treated it as a component of monthly salary. From August 2025 to June 2026, I submitted monthly compensation requests in the state employee portal totaling €5,500 (€500 per month)," he wrote.
Agur said he was summoned for questioning by police in early August regarding suspected false information in his compensation requests.
"I realized I had fundamentally misunderstood the nature of the personal car‑use compensation and on 12 August repaid the full amount to the Ministry of Education and Research," he added.
Agur assured colleagues that despite the situation, he remains fully committed to developing the school.
The Ministry of Education and Research is aware of the criminal investigation involving Agur and is cooperating with law‑enforcement authorities.
"Hendrik Agur has acknowledged errors in the travel logs submitted to the ministry, expressed regret over the incident, and repaid the compensation he received," said ministry spokesperson Kersti Ringmets.
She added that the ministry's priority is ensuring stability at the Ida‑Virumaa Vocational Education Center and continuity in the transition to Estonian‑language education. If new circumstances emerge during the investigation, the ministry will take them into account in future decisions.
The ministry will also review its internal control and oversight systems in connection with the case.
Agur took office as director of the IVKHK on 1 August 2025. Before that, he served as director of Kohtla‑Järve High School.
--
Editor: Valner Väino, Argo Ideon
