Journalists of Estonian business newspaper escape trial

Jan 20, 2000

Police started proceedings against four journalists in November,
accusing them of planning bribery and bribe-giving, a spokeman for
the Tallinn police said.

The police based the charges on a journalistic experiment in the
course of which reporter Peep Sooman, passing himself off as a small
businessman, offered a bribe to a secretary with the city court's
registry department.

The secretary, Annika Jurgenson, accepted the 1,500 kroons ($97) she
was offered in exchange for a promise to speed up the processing of
the false businessman's company papers.

Police started proceedings also against Jurgenson on a charge of fraud.

Marek Helinurm of the economic police earlier said that the proper
way for the journalists to go about the experiment would have been to
first turn to the police.

Helinurm said the photos and recordings made by the journalists
cannot be used in court as incriminating evidence against Jurgenson.

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