Estonia's chief prosecutor: Changed legal environment requires focus, teamwork

TALLINN – Andres Parmas, the prosecutor general of Estonia, said at the general assembly of the prosecutor's office on Friday that the changed legal environment and the rise of new problems require a focused and, on the other hand, a team approach.

"We have worked hard in recent years to organize our work in the most optimal, efficient and thoughtful way possible in the context of ever-increasing expectations for us and limited resources. To this end, we have, among other things, developed the principles of systematic prioritization of criminal cases, reformed our structure and established a center of excellence for economic crimes responsible for this domain across Estonia," Parmas said according to remarks published by spokespeople.

According to the chief prosecutor, the broader objective of the changes is to increase the efficiency of the prosecution of economic and corruption crimes, harmonize nationwide practice, and more effectively manage the allocation and use of resources for solving criminal cases.

"At the beginning of this year, we realized how dangerous it is when the prosecutor's office finds itself in the whirlwind of political battles. We do not interfere in politics, and as many legal scholars publicly stated last month, excessive interest in specific criminal cases on the part of politicians creates a dangerous precedent for the rule of law," Parmas said.

"At the same time, there is nothing to fear in oversight if it is conducted in accordance with existing procedures and transparently. The ongoing supervisory control allows us to have a fresh outsider's perspective on our work, which in turn provides an opportunity to take feedback into account, learn from it, and evolve," the chief prosecutor added.