Estonian Presidential Hopeful Tied to Unlawful Intelligence Reports on Former President’s Political Views - EUROPE SAYS
Former Defense Minister Jürgen Ligi, who initiated an internal Defense Ministry investigation in 2007, told the news outletDelfithat there was more to the scandal than just one memo, and that military. . .
Former Defense Minister Jürgen Ligi, who initiated an internal Defense Ministry investigation in 2007, told the news outletDelfithat there was more to the scandal than just one memo, and that military intelligence had produced a number of “intelligence reports” mentioning figures such as Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Estonia’s president at the time; then-Prime Minister Andrus Ansip; Ligi himself; and several government officials. “These were not reports about Russian activities, but about Estonia’s national leaders and their political attitudes, in which cooperation with the West appeared to be perceived as a threat,” Ligi said. He argued that the military must not conduct surveillance of civilian authorities, noting that such activities require specific legal grounds and must be carried out by the appropriate civilian institutions. Ühtegi is therefore seeking the presidency despite having led a military intelligence unit that, among other things, analyzed the political views of Estonia’s sitting president. Contrary to Ühtegi’s current explanation, the Defense Ministry’s internal investigation identified several reports concerning government officials and politicians. According to a source familiar with the proceedings at the time, one report was also based on information provided by a confidential source about activities in the defense minister’s immediate surroundings. In 2007, tensions ran high between Estonian Defense Minister Jürgen Ligi (right) and Commander of the Defense Forces Vice Adm. Tarmo Kõuts (left). Riho Ühtegi has linked the extensive media coverage of the intelligence scandal to the strained civil-military relations of the time. Photo: Peeter LangovitsIn an officialpress releaseissued on April 4, 2007, Estonia’s Chancellor of Justice Allar Jõks stated: “In my assessment, the systematic collection and analysis, through surveillance operations, of information concerning the views and activities of Ministry of Defense officials or the formulation of the Republic of Estonia’s defense policy falls outside the scope of the duties and powers granted by law to military intelligence. ”Tags:Scandalscandal newssurveillance