Businessman sues Estonian state over personal data misuse
Bigbank's majority owner, Parvel Pruunsild, has sued the Estonian state over the retention of his communication data, demanding that the court impose a substantial fine on the state. The exact amount of the fine will be left for the court to determine.
On Wednesday, Parvel Pruunsild filed a lawsuit with the Tallinn Administrative Court, accusing the Estonian state of violating his right to family and private life, as well as the confidentiality of his communications, Eesti Ekspress reports.
In 2022, with court approval, the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) accessed nearly a year's worth of Pruunsild's mobile phone communication data, comprising a total of 23,418 sessions. Investigators noted frequent communication between Pruunsild and Tartu Deputy Mayor Priit Humal. The Prosecutor's Office accuses Pruunsild and Humal of violating procedural restrictions.
Pruunsild's legal representatives, Andri Rohtla and Joonas Põder, argue that the administrative court should award a preventive compensation for damages caused by the Estonian state. They referenced the €1.2 billion fine imposed last year on Meta by Irish data protection authorities for the illegal transfer of personal data to the U.S. The lawyers believe the Estonian state's actions in retaining communication data are comparable to Meta's case.
In Pruunsild's criminal case, the ISS reviewed 23,418 of his mobile communication sessions. Rohtla and Põder suggest that compensation for each such violation could be €3,000. Based on a calculation made by Eesti Ekspress using the lawyers' referenced case law, this would amount to over €70 million in total damages (€3,000 per violation x 23,418 violations).
"Parvel Pruunsild seeks compensation for damages caused by the Republic of Estonia, to be determined at the court's discretion. The examples and potential calculation methods presented in the complaint are not intended to establish a minimum compensation amount. Pruunsild requests that the court award damages in a sum that reflects the severity of the violation and sends a clear message to the Republic of Estonia that intentional breaches of fundamental rights have consequences," commented attorney Rohtla.
The Prosecutor's Office dismissed the communication data after the Tartu Circuit Court ruled on September 12 that the data could not be used as evidence in the criminal proceedings related to Pruunsild's case.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Marcus Turovski
