Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of three former senior police officials – Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) Director General Elmar Vaher and senior officials Eerik Heldna and Aivar Alavere – finding no criminal wrongdoing in a case involving a colleague's police pension.

At a press conference on Monday, Vaher said he felf personally wronged by the case and accused the Office of the Prosecutor General of bias.

"To be removed from office as police chief over a corruption charge — that's a very serious matter, and going through that is obviously extremely difficult. The state should do everything in its power to ensure such cases don't happen again, and that our prosecution is honest and dignified," he said.

The Office of the Prosecutor General admits an error, but not impartiality.

"Yes, the prosecution acknowledges that our interpretation was mistaken and turned out to be incorrect, and that none of the individuals in question — Elmar Vaher, Eerik Heldna, or Aivar Alavere — committed a crime. The prosecution will conduct a thorough analysis of this case by order of the prosecutor general, examining every detail and nuance to prevent such mistakes in the future," said Chief State Prosecutor Alar Lehesmets.

Responding to Vaher's claim that the prosecution is biased, Lehesmets said he is unable to comment on that opinion because he has no such information. "Rather, I would say the prosecution acted in accordance with the prosecutor's internal conviction," he said.

Madis Timpson, chair of the Riigikogu Legal Affairs Committee and former minister of justice, described the case as "a clash of strong personalities that ended in criminal proceedings.:

"And I don't think that's quite okay. At the same time, I would not go so far as to say that the prosecution went to court entirely without cause. If they have suspicions that need to be legally examined, that must be done. We can't imagine a prosecution that only goes to court when it's 99.9 percent certain of victory. That said, if I were in the prosecution's place, I might not have taken it to the Supreme Court," he said.

Minister of Justice Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) said it was clear from the first court instance that no unlawful act had been committed, yet the process continued at the expense of people's lives and futures.

She issued an apology on behalf of the state on Monday.

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