Onetime Kapo investigator convicted in new crime

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

Indrek Põder, former corrupt investigator at Internal Security Service (Kapo), earns second criminal punishment – this time, for disclosure of a state secret.

On April 22^st, Tartu County Court judged Mr Põder doing time at Tartu jail for disclosure of state secret; in a compromise procedure, the man was served three months of real imprisonment to be added to his current punishment.

Judged for four years behind bars in spring of 2012, for accepting a bribe, Mr Põder underwent fresh criminal procedures’ starting February 2013 as it surfaced that the man had disclosed a state secret known to him as an employee at Kapo.

The details of the secret will not be revealed by public prosecutor Heili Sepp in charge of the case, nor by counsel of Mr Põder, sworn advocate Ann Saar.

«The details cannot be commented as these are related to state secrets, as also are the accusation and the court judgement,» said Ms Sepp.

The statement was echoed by Ms Saar.

While evidence against Mr Põder is said to be solid, Public Prosecutor’s Office deemed it best to solve the case by compromise procedure. Thereby, they avoided excessive attention and additional disclosure of secret in question during the lengthy court process.

«Agreement being reached regarding the punishment, there was no reason not to proceed with the compromise,» said Ms Sepp. «As a factor, we considered a string of state secrets that would have had to be disclosed to persons linked to an additional court procedure.»

Pursuant to the first criminal punishment sentenced to Mr Põder, he would have been set at liberty at the end of 2015, latest. The new date postpones freedom till spring of 2016.

Mr Põder, a Kapo investigator into crimes related to corruption, used to offer protection to criminals under the aegis of Kapo, for a fee. By court, he was sentenced to pay the state €200,000.

The case of Mr Põder is considered the worst occupational accident at Kapo in the newly independent Estonia.