Justice minister on Kross case: A dishonest take in a political battle

Commenting on the termination of the criminal investigation into Mary Kross following a plea of nolo contendere, Minister of Justice Raivo Aeg (Isamaa) said that this incident was a dishonest take in a political battle aimed at influencing public opinion ahead of the elections.
"The court has done its work and has provided its assessment, and that is to be respected," Aeg told ERR on Thursday. "I believe, however, that this was nonetheless an incident with greater societal impact; the goal of this incident was to influence public opinion ahead of the election, and thus also actually the results thereof. That was dishonest, in my opinion, and such takes should not be permitted in a political battle."
Põlluaas: Prosecutor's Office has done this before
President of the Riigikogu and Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) board member Henn Põlluaas found the circumstances under which the Kross case was terminated suspicious.
"There is something very wrong indeed in the Prosecutor's Office if the criminal case of Mary Kross, Reform Party member Eerik-Niiles Kross' wife who has made false accusations against EKRE, is terminated due to 'lack of public interest,'" Põlluaas wrote on Facebook. "I certainly haven't noticed any lack of interest. Quite the opposite. But what do you expect? The Prosecutor's Office has employed the same absurd pretext to defend the Reform Party before as well."
He recalled when the "$10 million case" — regarding the alleged mishandling of $10 million in an investment scheme when Reform Party member Siim Kallas was president of the Bank of Estonia — was likewise terminated due to a "lack of public interest."
Põlluaas also suggested in his post that Lavly Perling, now officially in the capacity of acting prosecutor general as the coalition EKRE refused to agree to her nomination for a second term as prosecutor general, may be tied to the "surprising" lack of public interest, perhaps in an attempt to get back at the party.
Kross case terminated
Northern District Prosecutor Ülle Jaanhold on Thursday sought the termination of the criminal case against American Mary Kross, 50, with a nolo contendere plea due to a lack of public interest. Kross' defense lawyer and the court both supported the move.
This June, the Northern District Prosecutor's Office took the criminal case against Kross to court as according to the charges, the defendant lied about an alleged attack on her at Tallinn's Stroomi Beach.
Kross, the wife of MP Eerik-Niiles Kross, was charged with providing false statements. Kross claimed that she was attacked at Stroomi Beach on Nov. 27, 2018, by two unknown men who threw rocks at her.
According to a post that began circulating on social media, the attackers had told Kross to "go home." The description of the alleged attack also noted that the attackers were wearing EKRE insignia.
The criminal investigation into the incident revealed that Kross was not in the park by Stroomi Beach at the time the attack was alleged to have occurred.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla