Estonian court rejects bid to close case against ex-Ukraine aid NGO chief
Harju District Court on Thursday rejected NGO Slava Ukraini founder Johanna-Maria Lehtme's request to close the criminal embezzlement case against her.
Lehtme, the founder and former head of Slava Ukraini, attended the October 7 pretrial hearing via video link, as her lawyer said she was abroad, Eesti Ekspress reported (link in Estonian).
Her lawyer, Dmitri Teplõhh, submitted the request to end the proceedings, saying Lehtme supported it as the most reasonable solution.
"The charges are completely unfounded and unsupported by evidence," he said. Lehtme maintains she is not guilty.
The Office of the Prosecutor General launched an investigation involving Lehtme in May 2023.
Over two years, the Central Criminal Police, in cooperation with Ukrainian authorities, compiled an extensive file, based on which Estonian prosecutors filed an indictment against her with Harju District Court early this August.
Lehtme is charged with abuse of trust and embezzlement of large-scale donations in connection with the NGO Slava Ukraini.
The Estonian charity nonprofit was founded shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, raising over €6 million. Until August 2022, Slava Ukraini provided humanitarian aid exclusively through the Ukrainian NGO All For Victory.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Aili Vahtla
