Sven Sillar's law office searched in connection with Hubert Hirv case
The Prosecutor's Office has confirmed that attorney Sven Sillar's law office in Tallinn was searched last Thursday by the Central Criminal Police, who seized documents in connection with his client Hubert Hirv, a suspect under criminal investigation currently being held in pretrial custody.
According to unconfirmed information, police officers produced a search warrant stating that the Prosecutor's Office had established by means of surveillance that individuals associated with Hirv had gone to the attorney's office to read the letters of an individual suspected of being a member of a criminal organisation.
"The Office of the Prosecutor General confirms that a search was conducted under court order at the office of attorney Sven Sillar in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation," a Prosecutor's Office spokesperson told ERR. "The goal of the serach was not to gain access to confidential attorney-client information, and no allegations have been made against Sven Sillar."
Sillar told ERR that this type of behavior has been a total paradigm shift. "Not even Kafkaesque, but a totally Orwellian world," he added.
In custody since February
Harju County Court in mid-February approved custody for seven individuals, including Hirv, his business partner Pavel Gammer, and Ahmed Ozdojev, an individual notorious in Estonia's criminal world, who was later released by the court on a record €350,000 bail.
Also among suspects in the case are attorney Viktor Särgava, who was later released, and among those arrested were also former colleague Aivar Orukas, who had worked for more than a decade in the Anti-Money Laundering Department, and former Internal Security Service officer Viljar Subka.
According to the allegations, the criminal organisation, which had been engaged in criminal activity for years already, committed numerous economic crimes and crimes against property with the goal of earning financial gains for its leaders and members. In addition to physical persons, various legal persons were also leveraged to commit the crimes.
ERR also learned that the allegations involved several episodes of tax fraud in a total amount in excess of a least €1 million, as well as an attempt to extort over $3 million from an entrepreneur.
Editor: Aili Vahtla