Estonian Prime Minister Appears Before Parliament's Committee Over Husband's 'Russian Business'

Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has appeared before the parliament's anti-corruption committee, the Riigikogu, due to the scandal surrounding her husband's "Russian business."

As reported by ERR, the interaction between Kallas and the committee members, led by Mart Helme of EKRE, a key political opponent of Kallas, was emotional.

The session began with chairman Helme and Priit Sibul, who also sits on the committee, asking the prime minister about her husband's explanation of using the loan, which totaled €350,000.

Kallas stated that details about the funds she provided to her husband's company, Novaria Consult, should be seen in the company's financial reports.

The Prime Minister refrained from answering questions about the timing of the loan to ensure she wouldn't be accused of lying.

She also assured that she had paid taxes on the interest she received from the returned loan. Kallas said she had not yet received repayment for a separate, €22,000 loan made to Novaria Consult this year.

Mart Helme pointed out that Kallas' income over the past five years was less than the loan of 350,000 euros. In response, Kallas noted that her income as a lawyer, her original profession, had been around nine times higher than her salary as a politician.

Kallas reiterated that her husband's business cannot be termed 'Russian.'

"They stopped it a month after this war started. They were transporting goods between two different factories belonging to their majority owner. That is all I know. However, this does not concern me. Whereas you say that money has gone to some Russian business or other, in fact, such a Russian business does not exist?" asked Kallas.

She also repeated that she only learned about everything after the media highlighted the issue.

Committee members suggested that Kallas could make her income declaration from 2010 onwards public to the committee members.

Kallas' colleague from the Reform Party, Valdo Randpere, criticised the committee's actions in the course of its investigation of the current controversy, adding that the committee lacks the appropriate competence in the first place.

Surveys have shown that the scandal has not impacted the ratings of the Reform Party, but a majority of citizens believe Kallas should resign.