Bribery in road construction: police apprehend two transport ministry employees and company representative
On 20 October, police apprehended two transport ministry employees and a company representative suspected of bribery in connection with road construction projects in Järva and Ida-Viru counties.
Three detained suspects accused of corruption scheme in road construction procurement
According to Õhtuleht, on Tuesday, 20 October, police apprehended three individuals: two transport ministry employees and one company representative. All three are suspected of crimes related to bribery in connection with multiple road construction projects.
The Central Criminal Police suspect the 36-year-old company representative of repeatedly giving bribes worth at least 2,300 euros. The transport ministry employees are suspected of accepting bribes in exchange for failing to fulfil their official duties: according to the suspicion, they accepted projects before they were actually completed and carried out inadequate supervision.
According to preliminary information, the violations involved two transport ministry procurement contracts for road repairs in Järva and Ida-Viru counties, with a combined value exceeding 1.3 million euros.
Aivar Sepp, head of the Central Criminal Police corruption crimes bureau, emphasised that public money must be used honestly. "If bribes are being given in exchange for compromising on quality, then this is not in the interest of society. In this investigation we have cooperated with the transport ministry, whose interest is also to establish the truth," said Sepp.
This involves a preliminary suspicion. The investigation is being handled by the Regional Prosecutor's Office for Economic and Corruption Crimes.
Source: Õhtuleht