Yana Toom joins Andrus Ansip in rejecting €11 advert refund
MEP Yana Toom (Centre) has told the Party Financing Supervisory Commission (ERJK) that she was not responsible for the appearance of an Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) social media advert which appeared ahead of the May European elections.
The ERJK issued a communique last week to both Toom and fellow MEP Andrus Ansip (Reform), saying that paying for an ALDE advert (see below) was a potential violation of electoral law.
However Toom, like Ansip, who responded to the letter last week, said that she had no knowledge of the advert and was thus not liable for it or the approximately €11 which it cost.
"I didn't pay anyone for this ad, not ALDE, nor the Centre Party, nor the advertising agency," Toom wrote to ERJK chief Liisa Oviir (SDE), according to ERR's online news in Russian.
"Since neither I nor the Centre Party ordered this advertisement, I will not pay this bill," Toom added.
Toom said she had also contacted the ALDE communications department, which said that the ad was its own initiative and should not have appeared in Estonia, given Estonian electoral laws.
Social media advertising is permissible in Estonia ahead of election day, but payments must be declared. A blackout on outdoor advertising kicks in around six weeks before an election.
Both Toom and Ansip sit with ALDE, now known as Renew Europe, although they are from opposing parties at home.
"I did not order this ad, or accept any prohibited donation, and for this reason I will not pay anyone for a prohibited donation of €10.95," he added.
Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte
