Peterkop says officials breached law’s spirit in Kuusk dismissal
Wednesday 30th September 2026 on 12:01 in
Estonia
Taimar Peterkop has accused decision-makers of disregarding the spirit of the law when they dismissed Defence Ministry Chancellor Kaimo Kuusk, ERR reported. Peterkop, who is set to become an adviser to President-elect Ülle Madise’s National Defence Council, said the law requires a minister and chancellor to try working together before ending the appointment.
The government dismissed Kuusk on September 10 at the proposal of then Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur, who had already announced his resignation. The move came ahead of a ministerial change: Martin Herem, proposed as the next defence minister, had made Kuusk’s departure a condition of taking the post, so the new minister would have more freedom over personnel decisions.
A minister can dismiss a chancellor if they consider that cooperation between them is not working. However, the Public Service Act bars the dismissal of a chancellor before six months have passed since the minister and chancellor began working together. Peterkop said the law’s purpose was to give them time to establish whether they could cooperate.
Peterkop said he understood the reasoning behind replacing Kuusk but argued that laws must be followed. He said disregarding legal norms could further erode trust in the Defence Ministry’s area of responsibility and set a precedent for removing officials quickly in similar circumstances. He said his criticism was aimed at all those involved in the decision, not just one person.
The dismissal followed a defence-sector scandal involving confusion in the Defence Forces’ accounting and unclear procurement procedures for national defence investments. Peterkop said the ministry must address problems that journalists and the National Audit Office had highlighted, in some cases for years. He called for improvements to Estonia’s governance culture rather than relying only on changing laws.
Peterkop also said Madise wanted the National Defence Council to meet regularly because of the worsening security situation.