Court sentences Leedo and former SLK executives to serve actual prison time
Tallinn Circuit Court has sentenced Vjatšeslav Leedo, and former executives of Saaremaa Laevakompanii (SLK) to serve 2 months' prison time, effective immediately.
Tallinn Circuit Court dismissed the appeals filed by the defense attorneys and upheld the prior convictions handed down by the Pärnu County Court.
The county court's decision regarding the sentences imposed on the defendants was overturned, however. Tallinn Circuit Court ruled that the sentences imposed on Vjatšeslav Leedo, Tõnis Rihvk and Lennart Viikmaa must be partially served immediately and that the €250,000 fine imposed on AS Holostovi Kinnisvarahaldus must be paid in full.
The circuit court found that the circumstances of the acts committed by Leedo and the other convicted persons and the persons themselves did not justify the full suspension of the sentence.
Therefore, the court sentenced Leedo, Rihvk and Viikmaa to 2 months' imprisonment to be served immediately, with the remainder of the sentence remaining suspended on condition that they do not commit a new intentional crime during a 4-year probation period.
Last year, Pärnu County Court sentenced former SLK board chair Tõnis Rihvk and supervisory board chair Vjatšeslav Leedo to two years and six months of imprisonment, with a probationary period of four years. Lennart Viikmaa was sentenced to one year and six months of imprisonment, with a probationary period of three years.
The circuit court noted that the county court's decision was lawful and its main findings justified. The county court had thoroughly examined both the evidence and the arguments from the defense, reaching a justified conclusion in finding the defendants guilty.
The circuit court did not identify any arguments in the defense attorneys' appeals that would provide grounds for reevaluating the county court's conclusions.
More information about the history of the case can be found here.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Michael Cole
