The Central Criminal Police has charged Oleg Jesseljunas, 35, with interference at last October's local elections.

The suspicion states Jesseljunas, a member of the Center Party faction on the Narva City Council, induced voters to cast their ballots in his favor.

According to preliminary data, this involved two men, who were paid to buy votes for Jesseljunas. One of the two in turn got one more man involved in the vote-buying scheme, it is alleged.

"We gathered information about possible violations, and in the autumn already we identified that elections in Narva may have been unfairly influenced," said Aivar Sepp, head of the corruption crimes bureau at the Central Criminal Police.

"At the start of the year, we brought suspicion against one intermediary in connection with possible vote-buying and continued collecting evidence to also determine a possible link to a politician. The evidence gathered so far has provided grounds to also bring suspicion against a member of the city council," Sepp added.

The police say they have identified at least four possible cases of vote-buying so far, with a reported €10 paid per vote.

The suspicion is at a preliminary stage, and the police are continuing to gather evidence and carry out procedural actions. Anyone who has any further information on the alleged incident or who may have been offered remuneration in exchange for their vote can contact the anti-corruption unit in confidence here.

Jesseljunas was elected to the council in Narva.

In a nuance of law, while vote buying, where a candidate offers an inducement to a voter, is illegal and punishable under the law, vote selling – ie. where a voter makes the offer, is not illegal under current law.

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