Party vice chair Jevgeni Ossinovski said the SDE will let the authorities do their jobs, and expects the matter will resolve. With Läänemets the only candidate, he says, "that suggests the party has concluded this is the right course."

Ossinovski said the party is focused on next year's Riigikogu elections and team morale is solid. The case is a concern, he added, but "I expect it to be resolved as quickly as possible."

He said there are no talks within the SDE about next steps if prosecutors should file a formal suspicion, including calling an extraordinary congress to elect a new chair.

MP and SDE parliamentary group chair Raimond Kaljulaid said the probe is not materially affecting the party's activities or preparations for next spring's elections. Leadership is only one piece of the puzzle, he said, alongside candidate lists, the campaign platform and outreach.

"How a party heads into an election is much bigger than any one person," Kaljulaid said.

He said the allegations against Läänemets have been known for some time and show no impact in polling.

"No doubt if it had a significant impact on the SDE's rating, we would already see it," he said, adding the case against Läänemets is not clear-cut and may not go anywhere anyway.

Prosecutors: Investigation is ongoing

The Central Criminal Police on January 13 launched a criminal investigation into the possible misuse of expense allowances by SDE chair, former interior minister and current MP Lauri Läänemets. He denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Helen Uldrich said Friday the investigation is ongoing and no criminal suspicion has been filed against him.

Läänemets is slated to run unopposed for reelection as party chair at the Social Democrats' party congress Sunday.

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