Sworn advocate Paul Keres contested a ruling by Harju County Court, by which the seizure of assets of one of the accused, Ain Kaljurand, had been left in effect. Mr Keres brought the matter before the second tier Tallinn Circuit Court.

The circuit court is due to rule on the matter on 21 January, court spokesperson Anneli Vilu told ERR.

The opening session of the trial was originally scheduled for 8 January; now Harju County Court is to determine a new session once the circuit court decision regarding the seizure of Kaljurand's assets has entered into force.

Three-year case so far

A three-year criminal investigation into the accused, former managers at the Port of Tallinn, Allan Kiil and Ain Kaljurand, conducted by Internal Security Service (ISS) personnel, has resulted in charges by the Office of the Prosecutor General of large-scale bribe taking and money laundering during the period 2005-2015.

A third defendant, former head of Port of Tallinn's service department Martin Paide, is also accused of bribe-taking, with seven more ''physical'' and two ''legal'' persons also charged with engaging in or being complicit in bribery.

The ISS detained Kiil and Kaljurand on August 26, 2015, once the prosecutor's office had issued its suspicions of extensive bribe-taking to both men; they were released at the beginning of January 2016.

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