Speaking to Esimene stuudio, Pakosta said at no point in the course of the no-confidence motion's processing on Thursday did it occur to her that she should resign, noting she spent hours refuting what she said were false claims made against her.

"Unfortunately, I had to spend most of the response time factually refuting factual falsehoods," Pakosta said. The no-confidence motion cited a failure to provide clarity and resolution in the Pihlakodu care home abuse case, one of the claims Pakosta rejected.

"In the no-confidence motion, I was asked why I had not intervened in the work of the prosecution. We live in a rule-of-law state in Estonia, and this must be understood – this means that politicians do not go and point fingers: 'Prosecutor. Process this, not that. Start a proceeding here, leave it be there.' Those things are not carried out in a rule-of-law state, and the law prohibits a minister from interfering in the work of the prosecution in this way," Pakosta said.

"A no-confidence motion was brought against me because I acted lawfully. However, I was able to list in the Riigikogu a whole range of actions I've taken in connection with Pihlakodu, which will hopefully lead to positive outcomes," Pakosta continued.

Pakosta: No reason to fear foreign inmates being brought to Tartu

A second reason for the no-confidence motion concerned the Tartu Prison rental scheme, which is set to bring up to 600 inmates from Sweden to Estonia in the second half of 2026. The opposition said Pakosta had endangered Estonia's security with this policy.

Pakosta said the opposition parties were not united on this, noting a previous justice minister from Isamaa, now in opposition, had proposed a prison rental scheme over two years ago.

"On February 23, 2023, Isamaa's then Minister of Justice, Lea Danilson-Järg, gave an interview to ERR in which she outlined the problem that Tartu Prison is empty, saying on behalf of Isamaa that the government plans to rent it out to foreign nations. If you look at the SDE position – we decided on this prison rental unanimously, in government. The only opposition party left against it is EKRE," Pakosta said. SDE was in office with Reform and Eesti 200 until March this year.

Pakosta expressed regret over the baseless fears about the perceived danger foreign prisoners being brought to Estonia had prompted, "especially when it's for no reason," pointing to job creation in South Estonia that the project would lead to. She said that international experiences had been studied, noting the case of the Netherlands, where "there were debates there too" when a similar project was first unveiled.

While the Dutch prison rental scheme is now over, "It lasted six and a half years without a single security incident," she continued. "The security risks in Estonia are mitigated: they have been assessed by the Internal Security Service and the Police and Border Guard Board," the minister added.

Pakosta pointed towards Tartu Prison's own internationally strong reputation and the fact that it has long housed inmates who are "international war criminals under foreign agreements." Tartu Prison had been costly to build and had been opposed by the prime minister of the time, Andrus Ansip (Reform), but who now says since it exists it ought to be put to good use, she continued.

"Back then, I also thought it was strange that the cost per inmate was equivalent to an entire private home, but I respect Ansip, who now says that this expensive real estate exists and must be used."

Prison rental scheme idea pre-dated Pakosta's time as minister

Center Party Riigikogu faction chair Lauri Laats said it was unclear why the Prosecutor General decided not to initiate criminal proceedings against Pihlakodu, despite a Social Insurance Board (SKA) supervisory report and evidence indicating inadequate organization in the care home.

"Under Minister Pakosta's leadership, a system has been created where women with dementia in helpless situations can be repeatedly raped without anyone being held accountable," he said.

Pakosta noted that at the time of these crimes, in 2023, she was not yet Minister of Justice and so had not been responsible for creating any such "system."

"If new evidence arises, it will be dealt with with full severity," she added. She also reiterated a line she had penned in an opinion piece that every rape causes health damage, and that steps were being taken to combat the issue, not only with care homes but more widely.

"I'm also working with an expert group so we talk not just about care homes, but more broadly," Pakosta concluded.

On Wednesday, 42 MPs from the Center Party, the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), Isamaa, and the Social Democratic Party (SDE) submitted a no-confidence motion against Liisa Pakosta as justice minister, accusing her of failing to initiate criminal proceedings in the Pihlakodu case and misleading the public about the planned transfer of 600 Swedish prisoners to Tartu.

The motion failed to pass a Riigikogu vote Thursday, with only 29 votes in favor in the 101-seat chamber. The Pihlakodu case concerns a male caregiver accused of sexually assaulting vulnerable residents at an Estonian care facility in Tabasalu, near Tallinn.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!