President appoints Madis Timpson to office as new justice minister

President Alar Karis appointed Madis Timpson to office as the new justice minister. Photo: Tairo Lutter

President Alar Karis appointed Madis Timpson, who previously served as mayor of the southern Estonian town Viljandi, to office as the new justice minister on Monday morning.

Karis first signed the letter of resignation of Kalle Laanet, after which he signed the appointment of Madis Timpson as the new minister of justice. Due to a break in the work of the parliament, Timpson will have to wait for a bit until he can take the oath of office before the Riigikogu at the start of next week.

Timpson admitted to the head of state that the offer to join the government came unexpectedly, but positively unexpectedly.

«I also consulted with loved ones and everyone thought I was capable of this responsibility,» Timpson said.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has previously said that it is important for the field of justice that the minister of justice has a legal education or a legal background.

«Madis Timpson does, and he also has management experience, which will definitely come in handy in a ministerial position. He has worked at the Ministry of Justice for seven years and headed the city of Viljandi for a long time. With his education and experience, Madis is a strong candidate for minister of justice,» Kallas said.

Timpson graduated from the University of Tartu in 2001 and has a master's degree in law. He has worked both in private business and in the public sector. As adviser to the minister of justice, he helped draft the Civil Service Act passed in 2012, and also aided the preparation of the administrative reform as part of the public administration minister's team. Timpson was elected mayor of Viljandi in both the 2017 and 2021 local elections.

Laanet, who came under misdemeanor investigation for renting an apartment from his stepson, decided to resign following discussions with the prime minister and in light of news stories published in the media.

A misdemeanor procedure has been initiated against Laanet for violating the anti-corruption law's section on the breach of procedural restrictions.

According to the Government of the Republic Act, the prime minister has one month to forward a minister's letter of resignation to the president. This time is intended for finding a new minister. The minister is appointed by the president within three days after receiving the corresponding proposal from the prime minister. The new minister takes office by taking the oath of office in the Riigikogu.