The Riigikogu's anti-corruption special committee made a proposal in June. This proposal would prohibit high-ranking officials from immediately working in private companies after public service. The government does not support this. The government believes that such a problem does not exist in Estonia.
The Security Police (kapo) annual report stated that high-ranking officials may go to work in private companies in the same field. This could create a corruption risk. Kapo recommended establishing a cooling-off period. This means that an official could not immediately go to work in a private company. This would help avoid conflicts of interest.
The special committee based its proposal on Kapo's recommendation. They submitted a draft law amendment in June. The draft proposed that officials would have up to one year before they could go to work in a private company. This would apply only to those who might have a conflict of interest.
The government responded that they do not support this draft. Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said that this law would be too complicated. He believes it would increase excessive bureaucracy. Tsahkna also said that in some cases, this prohibition would be unequal.
The head of the special committee, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart (Keskerakond), was surprised. She said that other law enforcement agencies have also spoken about this problem. Kovalenko-Kõlvart hopes that Justice Minister Liisa Pakost (Eesti 200) will support the draft when she returns from vacation.
The Riigikogu's new session begins in the fall. The special committee hopes that the constitutional committee will support their draft. Kovalenko-Kõlvart said that some coalition MPs may vote differently. She hopes that the Reform Party and Eesti 200 will support the draft.