TALLINN - Security police said that Kaimo Olesk, adviser to Social Affairs Minister Jaak Aab, has fallen under suspicion of taking a bribe and misusing his position. The daily SL Ohtuleht reported that a criminal investigation has been launched into Olesk, a member of the Center Party who worked as head of the Tallinn Labor Market Authority's department before assuming the adviser's job a year ago. Olesk was detained for 48 hours earlier this week but had been released from custody by April 27. Olesk asked to be suspended from his job the following day.
"In connection with the suspicions raised against me by the Security Police, and taking into consideration the nature of my job, I asked my employment relationship with the Ministry of Social Affairs to be suspended as of today in order to avoid casting a shadow on my employer," Olesk said in a statement.
"I hope that court proceedings will bring out the whole truth, and I, for my part, promise to cooperate in every way to help reveal the truth," he said.
Spokespeople for the Public Prosecutor's Office said investigators were working to find out if the actions being probed were linked with the ministry or the Labor Market Board.
"There is a great probability that they aren't connected with his present position," spokespeople said, adding that other people under investigation in the same case were not civil servants.
The newspaper reported that data from the Business Register reveals Olesk's earlier connections with several companies.
According to Estonian Radio, the accusations are related to Olesk's activities in arranging training for unemployed people and that several companies responsible for the training were on the list of suspects too.
Olesk was hired as adviser to the minister on matters of labor on May 30 last year.
Olesk himself said that most of the suspicions raised were related to his previous job at the Tallinn Labor Market Autho-rity.
