Riigikogu votes in favor of lifting 'fuel-gate' MP's parliamentary immunity

A vote to remove MP Kalle Grünthal's parliamentary immunity passed at the Riigikogu with 58 votes in favor.
The move was proposed by Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise, and will allow legal proceedings to continue regarding Grünthal, suspected of misusing Riigikogu fuel discount cards.
Speaking at the Riigikogu Tuesday, Grünthal said the evidence against him had been collected as a result of covert surveillance, which he said all MPs were subject to.
"Among these materials, there are also photos of you, the members of the Riigikogu. In addition to that, there is a 32-gigabyte memory stick that is likewise stuffed full of this. Bsically, I want to say that for this, the permission of the chair of the Tallinn Circuit Court has not been obtained. And this is not unfair toward me – it is unfair toward you. Because my case creates a precedent where all of you can be secretly wiretapped. On these grounds, I find that the Riigikogu should now say no [to removing Grünthal's immunity]. As for continuing the proceedings in my regard, I don't care about that," he said.
The State Prosecutor's Office said in October that evidence collected during the pre-trial stage gives reason to suspect Grünthal, formerly of EKRE and now an independent MP, of embezzlement.
Riigikogu members are permitted to use fuel discount cards when performing work duties, but the evidence collected indicates that in 2023, Grünthal used the facility for personal, non-work-related purposes at least 46 times and to a total value of around €3,000.
This constitutes an offense under the Penal Code under the section referring to misappropriation of another person's property, state prosecutor Eneli Laurits said.
The next step is for an indictment to be drafted and sent to court, meaning lifting Grünthal's constitutional immunity as an MP was required.
Doing so also requires a proposal from the justice chancellor and a majority vote at the 101-seat Riigikogu.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Mirjam Mäekivi










