Defense attorney: Savisaar, Center Party not to seek plea bargain
Oliver Naas, the lawyer representing both the Center Party and its former longtime leader Edgar Savisaar in a graft case, stated on Friday that his defendants will not be seeking a plea bargain.
"I have not sought a plea bargain as regards to either defendant, nor do I intend to do so," Nääs told BNS, declining to shed any further light on the chosen defense tactics.
Nääs said he submitted Savisaar's defense statement on Thursday; the defense statement concerning the Center Party had been filed by February already.
First-tier Harju County Court will hold a second preliminary hearing in the case on March 21. If no involved party applies for a plea bargain, the court will likely handle the case in a general procedure.
Aivar Pilv, the defense lawyer representing businessman Alexander Kofkin, who also stands accused of graft, had previously told BNS that Kofkin would not strike a deal with the prosecution. He emphasized that his defendant was not guilty of anything and they would prove as much in general procedure if necessary.
The Office of the Prosecutor General brought charges against Savisaar as well as the Center Party, Tallinn City Council chairman Kalev Kallo, a former adviser to the city government and five businessmen at the end of November last year.
Savisaar, who was removed from the office of Mayor of Tallinn by court order in September 2015, stands accused of accepting bribes, money-laundering, embezzlement as well as accepting prohibited donations for the Center Party.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS