Estonian police chief: Pevkur knew border construction costs would go up
According to Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) Director General Elmar Vaher, Hanno Pevkur, the previous Minister of the Interior and chairman of the opposition Reform Party, must have known that construction of Estonia's eastern border would cost more than initially expected.
"Hanno Pevkur was present when decisions were made," Vaher said at a press conference on Friday where he was asked to respond to recent comments made by Pevkur. "He was briefed all the time, and he was completely aware that the final construction price would come together following the design stage. He forwarded it to the government as head of the Ministry of the Interior and involving the Interior Ministry team."
Pevkur commented on Thursday that the PPA's calculation regarding the construction of Estonia's eastern border was a "wishlist."
"It seems that the new assessment is rather a wishlist, and the next step would be to task the PPA with reasonably cutting out some dreams," said the former minister.
It was announced on Thursday that, according to the PPA's calculations, the construction of Estonia's eastern border will cost 2.5 times more than initially planned, with the total price tag jumping from €79 to €197 million.
Minister of the Interior Andres Anvelt (SDE) ordered an internal audit launched to determine the reason for the drastic increase in cost.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS
