“We believed that we were doing the right thing, helping the right people and saving a good Estonian company, otherwise we could not have done it,” Hallik wrote in a statement, relayed by Estonian public broadcaster ERR. Hallik insisted his wife “was not aware of my business activities.”However, KAPO, the Estonian internal security service, confirmed to ERR that companies related to the prime minister’s husband had not violated sanctions.
“My company used this and the remaining capital to make various financial investments -– but the substance of these investments has never been the subject of any discussion between us. During the summer the loan was repaid,” he said. The opposition Center Party group, traditionally favored by Estonia’s sizable ethnic-Russian minority, was considering a no-confidence motion against Kallas, the Baltic News Service reported.
President Alar Karis, whose Social Democrats are the junior partner in the coalition, also urged her to explain the situation.