The Chairman of the Center Party, Mihhail Kõlvart, commented on the verdict of the Harju County Court, saying that the party is satisfied with the decision, but is waiting for the final verdict. However, according to Kõvart, the accusation has strongly affected the party and damaged the organization.
The chairman of the Central Party said that the decision of the first court is gratifying for the party. “I am glad that the first instance of court has reached the conclusion that we also reached when we looked into the accusation – there has been no trading in influence in the Porto Franco servitude issue, but the city has processed the issue as usual, without political party interference,” said Kõlvart.
He added that the accusation, which led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and the collapse of the government, has been difficult for the party. “Because of this accusation, the Center Party gave up the prime minister’s chair, and the former chairman showed a high political culture by resigning from the office of prime minister. The political party has received a very strong damage to its reputation and has had to constantly prove that the accusation is unfounded. It has undoubtedly left a mark on the past and present of our party,” Kõlvart found.
Kõlvart stated that the prosecutor’s office will undoubtedly appeal the decision, but the decision of the Harju County Court was significant, reasoned and fair. “The more we looked into this accusation, the more the accusations against the Center Party and the former general secretary seemed unfounded in our opinion. We were and are convinced that we have not done anything wrong, but we took political responsibility and made a number of changes as a result of the accusation. The proceedings will continue and we will give the judicial system time to calmly put an end to this matter, but today’s decision gave us the first confirmation that we have behaved correctly,” said Kõlvart.
