Savisaar denies money laundering accusations

TALLINN - Former Center Party youth organization head and party board member Tarmo Lausing claimed that Center Party deputy chairwoman Kadri Simson was the one who had handed him big sums of cash of unclear origin years ago, for which he had to find “donators” for, reports Postimees.

Last week, Lausing, who has quit the party, claimed that he was repeatedly given cash in the party for which he had to find “donators” for, i.e. people who would then “donate” it to the party.

“I was given money during the period after the Youth Assembly chairman’s term of office. It has been done repeatedly,” he said then. Lausing was the party’s Youth Assembly head in 2003-2005.

Lausing said that he received 250,000 kroons (16,025 euros) first and 100,000 kroons later, money of unknown origin, from another party member, but didn’t reveal a name then. On Oct. 7, however, he confirmed that the person who gave him the money was Simson, who at the time was the general secretary of the party.
“I am sorry to do this but yes, I am forced to confirm it – that’s the case,” said Lausing, when Postimees asked him if

Simson was the person he had meant. Simson told national television’s evening news program on Monday that she hadn’t given such cash to Lausing. She said that she had given Lausing cash for the Youth Assembly events, but certainly not in sums as large. “I have supported the Youth Assembly, supported it in cash. Cash is nothing criminal, it is legal tender. I have tried to get back expense documents for it,” said Simson who was the general secretary of the party in 2003-2007.

Lausing told Kanal2 news program ‘Reporter’ on Monday that money of unknown origin is certainly moving through Center Party now, too. “Look at this year’s donations and look at the sums: 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 euros. Does a person donate such sums of money to the party? The answer is ‘no.’ It is all money laundering money. The reports of the donations indicate that high level Center Party members are connected to it. Riigikogu members and so forth. It isn’t their money that they donate,” claimed Lausing.

Center Party chairman Edgar Savisaar claimed on Oct. 7, when interviewed by Public Broadcasting, that there has been no shady financing. “The Center Party has been so much inspected by all kinds of law enforcement institutions, all the security polices and criminal polices that this can be stated about us firmly,” said Savisaar.