Jaanus Tehver, Isamaa's lawyer, said prosecutors are yet to decide whether to bring charges, but will do so soon.

The suspicions date to last November, when prosecutors notified Isamaa of a prohibited donation totaling €110,234 allegedly accepted between November 2020 and April 2024.

Tehver said he will file no further requests with the Prosecutor's Office and is waiting for the formal charges, which he expects given the prosecution's stated position since spring.

The Prosecutor's Office for its part said the defense has been given until next Monday to examine the evidence materials, after which prosecutors will decide how to proceed.

According to the suspicions, prohibited donations — mainly advertising services — totaling approximately €330,000 were made to Isamaa, of which the party allegedly accepted €110,234. Isamaa and all other suspects deny the allegations.

Tehver said that, purely in terms of timing, no ruling can now be issued ahead of the elections — at best, a preliminary hearing could be held, he added.

"This means that, until the Riigikogu elections, the best that can be said is that charges have been brought before the court and that the Isamaa party is accused of this or that crime," he said. "Unfortunately, we will not know the court's position on what it thinks of these charges before the elections. Regrettable, but what can you do."

"For me, the Prosecutor's Office's position is clear, and in a situation where they have made the decision that I believe they have made, there is no point in my submitting any further requests," Tehver added.

Isamaa's hairman Urmas Reinsalu said it was in the party's interest for clarity to come quickly, but said that the proceedings had not been an issue when recruiting candidates or preparing the election campaign. "Perhaps Isamaa's opponents are more interested in that. But in my opinion, this stirring up of dust already received a public verdict at the end of last year, when we presented our expert analyses and assessments," Reinsalu said.

Reinsalu added cases like this can work the other way too and exert a sort of rallying-round-the-flag effect, as supporters come to see the charges as unfounded – while charges would attract attention, this would not be enough to distract from offering a political alternative to the Reform Party-led government, he said.

Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Kauri Sinkevicius said that if charges are brought and the case goes to court, the court will take over responsibility for the proceedings, and can take circumstances such as the upcoming elections into account when scheduling hearings.

Background:

Last November the Prosecutor's Office notified Isamaa that it was suspected of accepting a large-scale prohibited donation totaling €110,234 between November 2020 and April 2024. Tehver has previously stated the party is suspected of having benefited from coordinated activity by major donor Parvel Pruunsild, Tõnis Palts and the nonprofit MTÜ Isamaalised, who provided advertising and analysis services, with the costs covered by MTÜ Isamaalised. Under the Political Parties Act, companies and nonprofits are prohibited from financing party activities or providing free benefits with monetary value.

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