Major legal win for WALLESS in long-running Port of Tallinn Case

Court terminates Port of Tallinn criminal case – state to pay over €930,000 to defendants. The Tallinn Circuit court overturned the earlier decision of Harju district courthouse and terminated proceedings against former executives of the Port of Tallinn and several other individuals. The court found that the acts described in the charges were not carried out in the performance of public duties and therefore did not qualify the individuals as officials under the anti-corruption act. The delegation of public functions to the private sector does not automatically render every related act subject to public law.
The charges were reclassified as private sector bribery offences, but the alleged acts were time-barred. In the money laundering charges, the acquittal remained in force as the offence elements were not established. The civil claims filed by the complainants were dismissed. The court’s decision is not yet final; the parties have 30 days to appeal to the Supreme Court.

WALLESS partners Erki Kergandberg and Elmer Muna represented the clients throughout the more than ten-year-long criminal proceedings and secured a complete victory for their clients.