Kasemets declines to say whether he gave Kuusk an ultimatum

State Secretary Keit Kasemets has declined to say whether he told Defence Ministry Chancellor Kaimo Kuusk to choose between resigning voluntarily or being dismissed, ERR reported.

Madis Hindre, a journalist with Eesti Ekspress, said on Wednesday that Kuusk had met Kasemets before Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur decided to seek his dismissal. Hindre said he had heard from several sources that Kasemets had given Kuusk a clear choice between leaving willingly or facing dismissal.

Kasemets said in a written response to ERR that the minister, rather than the state secretary, makes the proposal to the government to dismiss a ministry chancellor.

“The defence minister proposed to the government that Kaimo Kuusk be dismissed under Section 96, Subsection 1 of the Public Service Act,” Kasemets said. The provision states that a ministry chancellor may be dismissed if, in the minister’s assessment, cooperation between the minister and the chancellor is not working.

Kasemets said that during his tenure, both ministers and chancellors had consulted him and the State Chancellery before the dismissal of chancellors Tõnis Saar and Marko Gorban. “Such conversations are part of the state secretary’s work. This time, too, both the minister and the chancellor consulted me,” he said.

Kasemets refused to disclose the content of his conversations with Kuusk, adding that he did not consider it appropriate to comment on unfounded speculation.

ERR was unable to obtain comment from Kuusk on Friday.