According to the complaint, the school provided the ministry with inaccurate information to obtain a larger amount of state funding, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office said.

"Opening a criminal investigation allows investigative authorities to verify the claims presented in the criminal complaint and to gather additional information. Therefore, at this stage no suspicion of committing a crime can be attributed to any party; first and foremost it must be established whether there are grounds to bring any charges at all," the spokesperson explained.

Oversight carried out by the Ministry of Education at the school found that it had enrolled more than 400 students in supplementary education programs, which is not permitted, thereby causing damage to the state in excess of €500,000.

According to a representative of the ministry, this practice has been ongoing for a second academic year, giving reason to believe that the school knowingly submitted false information to the state.

In response to the criticism, the school stated on its website that it has been providing non-stationary (distance or flexible) education since 2024; that all student data has been entered into the Estonian Education Information System (EHIS); that this activity has not been concealed; and that it has not previously received any comments or orders related to non-stationary education.

Narva Orthodox High School is a private school owned by the non-profit organization Orthodox Education Association "Resurrection". According to the Commercial Register, one of the representatives of the NGO is Vitali Gavrilov, who is also a board member of the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (formerly the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate).

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