Article is more than five years old, has been archived and is no longer updated.

Internal Security Service arrests Jõhvi municipal officials

{{1515503040000 | amCalendar}}
Northeastern Estonia faces its own set of unique challenges.
Northeastern Estonia faces its own set of unique challenges. Source: Aleksei Fjodorov/ERR

Officials of the Internal Security Service (ISS) on Tuesday arrested the chairwoman of the municipal council of Jõhvi in Ida-Viru County, Niina Neglason (Reform). They also arrested the head of Jõhvi's social services, Sirli Tammiste.

Neglason is suspected of having accepted bribes. According to the authorities, she accepted bribes in 2016 as well as 2017 in return for making decisions to the benefit of different businesses.

The sum of the bribes amounts to more than €40,000 according to the ISS' suspicions.

The municipality's head of social services, Sirli Tammiste, was also arrested. She is suspected of having violated limitations set out in the Anti-Corruption Act, and to have acted to the benefit of businesses closely connected to her family.

Also arrested was a management member of a private business, who is suspected of having paid bribes to officials.

The Viru district prosecutor's office is conducting the investigation with the ISS.

Reform Party to expel Neglason

The Reform Party announced on Tuesday that they are going to expel Neglason.

Spokespeople for Reform told BNS on Tuesday that the Ida-Viru section of the party discussed expelling Neglason already at the end of last year. The reason at the time was that Neglason ran in the October municipal elections as the top candidate of the Jõhvi Eest ("For Jõhvi") election coalition despite being a member of the Reform Party.

The proposal to expel a member from the ranks of the party needs to be made by the party's regional section.

Editor: Dario Cavegn

Source: ERR, BNS

Hea lugeja, näeme et kasutate vanemat brauseri versiooni või vähelevinud brauserit.

Parema ja terviklikuma kasutajakogemuse tagamiseks soovitame alla laadida uusim versioon mõnest meie toetatud brauserist: