Last Thursday, the Prosecutor's Office sent the materials of the criminal case against Mölder to the chancellor along with a proposal for the Riigikogu to remove his immunity.

Mölder has been charged with two offenses: soliciting a bribe and agreeing to accept a bribe, and fraud as an official.

According to the suspicion, in November 2022, Mölder made a proposal through the Center Party to include a €25,000 operational subsidy in the 2023 state budget for the NGO Kõo Jahiselts. Before submitting the proposal, he allegedly reached an agreement with a representative of the association that, once the subsidy was paid out, he would receive at least €10,000 for himself.

The Prosecutor's Office also suspects that in November 2022, Mölder ordered 1,000 election campaign postcards bearing the Center Party's symbols and submitted the invoice for them to the Riigikogu Chancellery for reimbursement. In his application, he confirmed that the expense was related to his work in the Riigikogu, although he knew the materials were campaign materials that are not eligible for expense compensation.

Mölder is an independent politician. He was a member of the Centre Party from 2008 to 2023, before joining conservative Isamaa in 2023. He left the party in 2024, after he was declared a suspect in the criminal case

This is not the first time a member of the Riigikogu has lost their parliamentary immunity. It has been stripped from EKRE politicians Kert Kingo and Kalle Grünthal, as well as Reform member Kalle Laanet.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!