European prosecutors refuse to brief Estonian committee on Datasel probe
Thursday 15th October 2026 on 09:15 in
Estonia
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) will not discuss its ongoing investigation involving ammunition supplier Datasel with Estonia’s parliamentary anti-corruption committee, ERR reported.
Committee chair Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart had asked to meet the EPPO delegated prosecutor leading the criminal investigation into the State Centre for Defence Investment and Datasel. European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi replied that current rules provide for a national parliament to hear the European chief prosecutor, or one of the deputy chief prosecutors, and only about the EPPO’s general activities.
Kövesi said the EPPO generally does not comment on ongoing investigations or disclose details, to avoid jeopardising proceedings or their outcome. If the office can share information about an investigation, she said, it does so on its own initiative. She also said the EPPO must follow up every lead within its remit and does so diligently.
The EPPO investigates fraud affecting the European Union’s financial interests, brings charges and takes cases to court. Its remit includes fraud involving EU spending with estimated potential losses above 10,000 euros, as well as fraud affecting EU revenue, such as cross-border VAT fraud, with estimated potential losses above 10 million euros.
Kövesi said the EPPO respects the presumption of innocence and is not guided by political considerations. Investigators are required to seek both incriminating and exculpatory evidence, either on their own initiative or at the defence’s request.
In 2024, the State Centre for Defence Investment signed ammunition purchase contracts worth about 70 million euros with Datasel S.R.L., a company registered in Italy and owned by Indian businessmen. The centre paid about 60 million euros in advance. It says the ammunition delivered did not meet requirements; Datasel denies that there were quality problems. The EPPO began investigating the transactions in September.
The procurement was funded through the European Peace Facility, not by Estonian taxpayers. The European-level funding included money from frozen Russian assets.