Model father or godfather?

Photo: Kroonika

A family man, a history lover, a committed patriot – reading criminal police operational information, this is exactly what the top Estonian underworld chief Assar Paulus is like.

Can a mafioso in Estonian organised crime may be the man decorated by Defence League, six years ago, for active participation? Yes. In the 2008 list of decorations, we find Assar Paulus, member of Pärnu County district.

Another totally non-criminal trait: a year ago, Mr Paulus was awarder Prize of the Year by Estonian Former Forest Brothers Union for financing monuments and T-shirts for Estonia’s last Forest Brother August Sabbe who perished under unclear circumstances in 1978.

Add his vast book-reading spurred by love for history, times spent eating soup with WW2 veterans in Sinimäed Hills, his above-average helpfulness, the decent family man background, and phone number visible in public databases, the Criminal Police claim regarding his high status in the Estonian world of crime seems an exaggeration.

Still, investigators are probably right about Mr Paulus. His position, after ten years of reliability in the affairs of the dark, might have come out of zugzwang. Still, for these past eight years he’s been the unquestionable leader of the Estonian-speaking criminal contingent.

The criminal turn came after a rape incident in the 1980ies that took Mr Paulus to jail. Whether innocent or guilty, only he and the girl would know.

After prison, Mr Paulus has led a peculiar life. Having graduated from University of Tartu in physical fitness, he never worked one day as the wrestling coach he was supposed to be. Instead of that, dwelling in Harju County he has been doing his own thing. Fearing for his life, he’s always settled issues without having recourse to police. In the criminal world, that’s the honourable way.

Years ago, Mr Paulus established a consultancy. The name, Barbarossa Invest, smacks of his love for history. According to official registers, the company was not much of a success economically.

Investigators are convinced of having spotted the shadow of Mr Paulus in several secret businesses over the years. Never proven. Going after Mr Paulus, Central Criminal Police got so excited as to be caught by Mr Paulus and a few of his friends while trying to bug his business. Before their very eyes, the policemen happened to be drilling a hole in the floor of their office, from the basement.

Now, as the years have gone by, it looks like the investigators have improved in professionalism, leading to fruitfulness. After the arrest of Mr Paulus, the grapevine says the proof amassed would be hard to refute. That, of course, is for the courts to judge.