Estonia, Financial Services, Legislation, Transport

Pentus-Rosimannus said in a statement that when she returned from her his official visit to Sweden Tuesday evening, she discovered an unexpected task to turn to the Supreme Court to protect her rights. "A decision that was diametrically opposite of the first level court ruling obliged me to participate in paying debts my father's former company had accumulated during the economic crisis. I do not agree with the court's interpretation that a father's business failure has to be chastened against family members, I consider this decision grossly unfair towards me, and I intend to challenge it in the Supreme Court," she said.

Pentus-Rosimannus noted that the respect towards the Estonian state and its institutions and the understanding of European political culture, however, does not allow her to behave any other way in the situation than submit her resignation to the Prime Minister.

Pentus-Rosimannus said that the Estonian state, the government and the foreign ministry face at the moment much more important issues that the Estonian public should deal with than the questions about the further fate of fines against her, and whether her decision to be supportive of her father during his illness was correct or not in someone's opinion.

"I know that I am right in this story of supporting my father and I have not caused harm to anyone or done anything wrong, no matter how much it has been attempted to show the contrary by manipulating the public. Explaining that, after yesterday's decision, and continuation of the dispute over annulling the fines imposed on me, will in any case take a part of my attention," said Pentus-Rosimannus and added that she considers it correct and honest to spare the government, and the Estonian foreign service of everything associated to that.

Tallinn District Court decided on Tuesday to annul a part of the county court decision, made last year, in a civil dispute concerning the bankruptcy of transport company Autorollo. The county court had dismissed the company's claim for damage compensation, caused by the establishment of a subsidiary company, against foreign minister Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, and reduce the damages by 43,765 euros.

The District Court now however ruled that 227,680 euros has to be paid to Autorollo, of which 39,772 euros as interests. The District Court ordered that Siim Roode, Rain Rosimannus, OÜ Roode & Partnerid, NJORD Advokaadibüroo OÜ and Keit Pentus-Rosimannus have to pay together damages of EUR 163,817, interest of 34,673 euros and extra punitive interests.

Delfi wrote that in spring of 2011, OÜ Autorollo, which belonged to Keit Pentus-Rosimannus's father Väino Pentus, was declared bankrupt. At the end of 2012, Autorollo, which by then was under governance of a bankruptcy panel, submitted a 580,000 civil action against the then environment minister Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, her husband Rain Rosimannus and lawyer Siim Roode, who helped the family in the Autorollo case, as well as Roode & Partnerid and the MAQS Law Firm Advokaadibüroo, where Roode had shareholdings. The applicant claimed the Rosimannus family and Roode caused damages to the creditors by removing assets of the company into another firm.

Both Keit Pentus-Rosimannus and Rain Rosimannus have denied involvement in the case. Keit Pentus-Rosimannus said after the court decision on Tuesday that she would certainly appeal the decision in Supreme Court as she had nothing to do with the Autorollo case, which was her father's business and it is very unjust to demand from her old debts of a company that belonged to another family member.

Pentus-Rosimannus has been the foreign minister since 17th of November of last year, before that she was environment minister from 2011 onwards. Between 2007-2011, she was a Riigikogu member and will now go back to Riigikogu too.