Ex-Centrist launderer unwilling to leak names

Photo: Erakogu

Tarmo Lausing (formerly Centre Party), yesterday owning up to helping party launder hundreds of thousands of kroons, opts not to reveal who brought him the money – and whom he, thereafter, asked to donate it to Centre Party. 

You belonged to Centre Party youth organisation since 1999, joined party ranks in 2001; from there on, you went to city district managements, vice chairman of city council, head of Jüri Vilms Foundation. In 2005–2009, you were nearing Centre Party top levels, being next to [Edgar] Savisaar, going to meetings together with him. By name, you were not as well-known as some Riigikogu members from your party; even so, in party hierarchy, you were very close to the leader.

At two occasions, I might have gone to Riigikogu: in 2011 and 2007 I had the chance. All it would have taken was get 600 votes, in Lasnamäe. But, by 2011, I was already worn out, backing out of politics; and, in 2007, I was campaign manager for another candidate. I focussed on that, didn’t want to run myself.

Whose campaign was that?

For Mailis Reps.

Mr Savisaar has always had his youthful disciples. How does he find them? Gut feeling? A look in the eyes?

Savisaar has a very good eye to recognise such people. He detects activism, he perceives what people are capable of; he beholds the gleam in the eye, the enthusiasm. And he brings them forward. And, when necessary, pulls the rug from under them.

Regarding myself, I may say that me becoming Tallinn city council chairman – though I had been working towards that – was still basically Savisaar’s sole decision. In Centre Party, Savisaar decides. 

For instance: how did Mihhail Kõlvart become Tallinn deputy mayor? Kõlvart was elected into Riigikogu; Savisaar, however, decided that Siret Kotka needs a seat in Riigikogu, and so Kõlvart was appointed deputy mayor. (In the final outcome, that proved insufficient to get Ms Kotka into parliament – edit). That’s the way thing go, that’s the way people are directed. 

Who are close to Savisaar now, of the youth I mean?

Siret Kotka and Priit Kutser. Kutser has a very good intuition in detecting Savisaar’s desires; to know what Savisaar would like. And, true: he works like a horse, at night, during meals.

More generally speaking: who are «in» in Centre Party – important in Savisaar’s eyes – and who are «out»?

Kadri Simson, Aadu Must, Mailis Reps for a longer time now, Kalev Kallo, Kalle Klandorf…

City council chairman Toomas Vitsut also?

No, Vitsut is «out». His fate was sealed as he was using his own head a little too much [to think], at certain instances.

But Priit Toobal?

No, Toobal is running errands. He does what told by Savisaar, but he has no influence, he’s no adviser. Contrasting to that, Kadri Simson for instance, and Sven Mikser in his time, gave Savisaar political advice. Not so with Toobal, he just does what ordered.

You have said that Mr Savisaar is a political genius. I can’t agree: how can a man be genius, leading a party most popular or second most popular in Estonia, yet having his last stint at prime minister over 20 years ago? Kalle Muuli once wrote that Savisaar is a tactical genius, but weak in strategy.

Yeah, that’s mote to the point. He is genius when it comes to tactics, and in some single steps. He is an opportunist, like Churchill of old, but he cannot think long in advance. And he’s also very weak in money matters. He gets an idea (and often a very good one), but he cannot compute how much it will cost or whether the expenses are prudent. Therefore, Centre Party often finds itself in financial straits.

In an interview to Eesti Ekspress, you described two cases where you needed to launder money for the party. At one time, it was 250,000 Estonian kroons, the other time 100,000 kroons. The scheme being the same: money was brought to you, in plastic bags; you had to find trusted people to donate it to the party, little by little. Were these the only cases – or where there more?

What do you think? There were more; even so, I would rather not tell the details.

When where these sums donated?

Should I name the year, you would search the reports to see who donated, picking out names. I do not want that to happen.

You have not mentioned who it was/were who brought you the hundreds of thousands in cash, asking you to be involved in the scheme. You have only hinted it was a person to this day at a very high position in Centre Party.

Yes. I do not want to name names because these people have it hard as it is. They are not to blame, they just find themselves in a very complicated situation. As I said, in this party everything revolves around one person (Savisaar); and I do not want to bring fire down on people who are having it hard as it is.

This is not limited to Centre Party alone, but I have heard that the parties have started using schemes where a well known businessman donates large money and no-one will think this is strange (he being rich and, therefore, has money), but in reality there are other businessmen behind the money he handed over.

That is highly likely. This, of course, means not that every businessman (like Urmas Sõõrumaa who gives to all parties) would do that; even so, with some businessmen I do think they represent somebody else.

Regarding Centre Party, I’ve heard that currently, one of the straw men is Aivar Riisalu, via whose firms black money is legalised and turned into cash.

I cannot comment on Riisalu – I don’t know. Generally speaking, however, as I said; it’s quite logical for such businessmen to exist, for such schemes to exist.

Another issue often mentioned, of course, is Edgar Savisaar’s links to Paavo Pettai, long-time advertiser for Centre Party and Tallinn – meaning that it is through him that Savisaar may move money.

Again: I don’t know the details. But Pettai and Savisaar have been close for a very long time.

Was money laundered for Centre party via Jüri Vilms Foundation?

Not while I was at the helm. The foundation kept losing money, the main task being publishing the newspaper Vesti; and Vesti being in the red, constantly. We were hiring new ad salesmen, found new ad clients. Yeas, there were sponsorships which were formalised as ad bills; but this money never reached party coffers. The money was used to publish Vesti, and still we were in the red. In a way that was an example of a project where Savisaar could not think straight financially.

Centre Party is not refuting the accusations; rather it is busy ignoring of ridiculing you. Meanwhile, Mart Viisitamm, for instance, has said that basically that’s the way things were, back then, in the party... 

By the way, Viisitamm was even closer to these matters within the party than I was. He being the executive secretary i.e. directly dealing with financial issues, seeking for sponsors, paying bills.

Comments

Centre Party, open response

We understand attempts by opponents to discredit Centre Party during election campaign. It is not excluded that within two weeks to come, some other Lausing will be found in Italy or Brussels, coming out with like confessions. There have always been the attempts to set up some scandal before elections; never has anything remained, of these, after the elections are over. As shown in public donations register, during the abovementioned years, Mr Lausing has donated to the party 50 kroons a month; only on September 5^th 2006 has he donated 7,000 kroons. Centre Party will be guided by reports. We do not know which manipulations Mr Lausing was victimised by; even so, we offer our condolences.

Silver Meikar (formerly Reform Party)

I see no reason to doubt he speaks the truth. Even earlier, Mr Lausing has spoken up on these issues in the media; this time, however, he was more detailed in his description and admitted his own involvement. This is no easy thing to do; for his boldness, he deserves recognition. Definitely, this is a weighty revelation. Tarmo Lausing’s role in Centre Party’s secret donations scheme is comparable to that of Kalev Lillo, in Reform Party. They know where the money came from and with whose help it reached the party bank account. Use of illegal or immoral schemes will end when political culture shifts. For that to happen, citizens need to stop supporting politicians who use opaque money.

Rainer Vakra (formerly Centre Party)

Values, ethics and management has always been problematic, in Centre Party, and I see no reason why Tarmo Lausing should have invented these claims. For the very demands that money matters and budget use be cleaned up, Kalle Laanet was expelled and five Riigikogu members decided to leave the [Centre] party. Therefore, I am not surprised by the accusation. On the other hand: I have never belonged to such inner circles as to have been involved in discussions of party financing. In spite of earlier scandals, neither Reform Party nor Centre Party have taken any steps to improve the situation. There have been lofty words, but that’s all.

Ain Seppik (Reform party, formerly Centre Party)

The accusation is so vague. To my knowledge, such things have not happened. Tarmo Lausing should say what happened, then, where the facts come from; as anybody can say whatever before or even after elections. I know no such cases. It is totally unbelievable that, in every quarter, black financing would happen at Centre Party. I do not believe things like that would happen, that would have stuck the eye. I have not known of any such things as party finance secretary, back then; neither currently. Up until autumn 2009, Centre Party had no financing problems as state subsidies covered the costs.

Rait Maruste (Reform Party)

I do not know the details of Lausing’s story, neither do I desire to know them. For an onlooker, it troubles me, however, as these young men – Lausing and Meikar – come up with claims like that only after they have been left without [something]. I’m disturbed that both allegedly played along and suffered for years. And then, suddenly, they come up with claims like that. For me, this is an issue of trustworthiness and moral responsibility – if things were wrong, why did they keep silent up to now? Is this sheer career-hunger or what? Meikar's claims were investigated for five months, it lead nowhere. I don’t know if they will be investigating Lausing’s claims, years have passed.