Michal says defence minister can decide on resignation Thursday

Prime Minister Kristen Michal said Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur could take political responsibility over unclear defence-related deals, although Michal said he currently saw no personal wrongdoing by the minister, ERR reported.

Michal said Pevkur himself would decide whether to resign after a government meeting on Thursday.

“The defence minister will come to the government tomorrow, and after that we will make decisions,” Michal said when asked whether Pevkur should step down.

Michal said he was particularly concerned about former employees and managers of the State Defence Investment Centre, who made the contracts and payments, potentially creating obligations for the state without reporting the situation.

Michal called a government cabinet meeting for Thursday morning to review the uncertainty surrounding defence-sector accounting. The Auditor General, Defence Forces Commander Andrus Merilo, State Defence Investment Centre head Elmar Vaher and Ministry of Defence Secretary General Kaimo Kuusk will take part.

Michal said he wanted a precise assessment of the problems and plans to resolve them. He said those responsible for procurements should also be held accountable if they failed to conduct required background checks or provided incomplete information. He did not rule out civil claims if it emerged that someone had knowingly provided false information or failed to act.

Michal said the situation was unacceptable if goods ordered for shipment to Ukraine had not been delivered because of poor quality or because they were unavailable. He also criticised the State Defence Investment Centre for placing additional orders when the earlier goods apparently had not been received.

Asked whether the Estonian state might have to repay 70 million euros, Michal said Vaher’s first task should be to recover the money through the courts. He also said he wanted to know what guarantees the company or its parent company had provided to cover the obligations.

Michal said he was also questioning why the previous State Defence Investment Centre head, Magnus-Valdemar Saar, had left so quickly and whether problems were already known at the time. Michal said he had not communicated with Saar and that the relevant authorities, including the National Audit Office, the Prosecutor’s Office or the Ministry of Defence, should clarify the matter.