Toobal: these claims are silly

Photo: Sander Ilvest

Centre Party secretary-general Priit Toobal desired not to comment on concrete chats with schoolboys.

- How do you comment on the information obtained by Postimees about you seducing young boys in Internet recently?

These kinds of stupidity has been said before. I remember how Juku-Kalle (Raid – edit) once raised how I once met somebody in the Riigikogu sauna. These claims are silly and I think no citizen should present such claims. These must really be verified and provable, not that somebody thinks or writes something in some forum.

- You claim nothing like this ever happened?

Yes, sure.

- Our data says you praised their bodies in private conversations with young boys, invited them to sauna and offered to drink vodka together.

These are stupidities. Naturally I love sauna a lot. I have a decent sauna in the countryside, and I will surely not say no to good company with a little tipple. But that good company, chatting at sauna and some sexual issues would somehow be related, this is silly and this is not a worthy way to do.

- We have photographs of your conversation with a minor male. You own up to these sentences?

I should take some time to look, not here on paper... 

- But do read, please.

No, I should still look and see where it came out and so on. Not as easy as this.

- Do you recognise the sentences on the paper or not?

(Pause.) Not as easy as this, I will really have to check the context.

- You cannot confirm you have never written such words?

No. That I have invited people to have a good time in my company, this is totally the usual. I have had quite a lot of friends come visit me in the countryside, be they [political – edit] party buddies or friends around home I have had communication with. But what this definite thing is, I really can’t tell you.

- In this case these aren’t acquaintances but minors who do not know you.

I will really have to peacefully look this over, one by one, and then I can comment.

- Do you think it normal that a Riigikogu member goes to a school and casts his eye on students to afterwards contact then in private chats?

Just as was the sauna incident once raised up by Juku-Kalle Raid: this was silly, this was not proven at all. If I communicate with anyone – outside my working hours, with former schoolmates – this is totally normal and I do not see anything to be denounced here at all.

- Postimees has been present at the launch of one such conversation, and it was you.

Well and so how should I comment on that?

- Do you deny or say such a thing happened?

Naturally I communicate with very many people, daily. That I talk to people is totally normal and that’s the way it is.

- What would be the motive for you to contact strangers and minors at that?   

That depends on the subject. For instance, in my home school I reminded many of me running and asked them to vote for me. This is totally the usual.

- But in the given instance the talk was not about Centre Party, politics, youth organisation nor anything else except the bodies of these lads.

Then I want to see the entire conversation and what I am being found fault with. This seems silly to me and simple ill will.

- What do you think should be happening from here, as such materials have reached the media and people are testifying that you have approached them indecently?

I think that concerning various politicians such things reach the media rather often, and often these aren’t true and aren’t proven.

- How do you intend to defend your honour?

I do not feel my honour would have been stained. I have not been presented definite materials, no investigative body has contacted me about it. I do not see a reason to do anything in this situation.

- Do you often contact young people to invite them to sauna?

In case of good an acquaintance and nice company, then surely yes.

- But if it isn’t a good acquaintance?

But that’s me who decides if for me somebody is an acquaintance, not Postimees.

- Were you present at the school (Postimees will not publish the name of the school – edit) on November 6th?

I will have to look it up in the calendar, can’t remember right away.