POLICE SUSPECT THE TALLINN ICE RINK HEAD OF A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

Police Suspect Tallinn Ice Rink Head of Criminal Offenses

Officials from the Central Criminal Police on Thursday filed suspicions of violation of procedural restrictions and benefit fraud against the director of a sports center administered by the City of Tallinn.

Information available to ERR suggests the case concerns Elena Glebova, head of the Tondiraba Ice Hall.

According to the preliminary suspicion, the head of the sports center allegedly made decisions involving a non-profit organization connected to herself and signed contracts with that organization for the use of the center's halls and courts. She is also suspected of fraudulently obtaining benefits by submitting false information about her coaching work to the Foundation for Sports Education and Information.

The investigation is in its early stages, and the current suspicion may change as the case progresses.

Elena Glebova did not answer ERR's phone call and later switched off her phone.

On Thursday, Central Criminal Police officials carried out various procedural actions at locations connected to the suspect. The pretrial investigation is being conducted by the Corruption Crimes Bureau, with the criminal proceedings led by the District Prosecutor's Office for Economic and Corruption Crimes.

Olgerd Petersell, a district prosecutor specializing in economic and corruption crimes, stated that public duties must be carried out in the public interest.

"All official duties must be fulfilled honestly and transparently. As such, decisions involving public funds must not be driven by personal interests," he said.

Aivar Sepp, head of the Corruption Crimes Bureau, called this a serious case in which the suspect allegedly made self-serving decisions, abusing the trust that came with her position.

"Dishonest actions by public officials damage the reputation of the sector, harm clients seeking services and hurt businesses and competitors alike. That's why it's essential for anyone aware of illegal activity by a public official to report it. We also thank the City of Tallinn for its understanding and good cooperation during the public procedural actions," Sepp added.

Tondiraba Ice Hall. Source: (Scott Abel/ERR)

Former figure skater Elena Glebova joined the Center Party on June 4, 2013. She ran in the 2015 Riigikogu elections, receiving 310 votes but was not elected. Shortly after retiring from her athletic career, Glebova was appointed director of the Tondiraba Ice Hall on June 11, 2014, by the Tallinn city government led at the time by Mayor Edgar Savisaar. When Vladimir Svet became minister of regional affairs and infrastructure, Glebova temporarily filled his seat on the Tallinn City Council. Svet has since returned to the council.

A seven-time Estonian figure skating champion who represented Estonia at the Olympic Games three times, Glebova also serves on the board of the Estonian Skating Union.

Mayor: Glebova's Arrest Does Not Come as a Surprise

Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said the Glebova case confirms that the Center Party's longstanding monopoly on power in the capital created a corrupt system in which unqualified party affiliates were appointed to leadership positions.

"Former figure skater Elena Glebova was appointed head of the Tondiraba Sports Center in 2014 by then-mayor Edgar Savisaar. Glebova was part of Savisaar's inner circle, had recently joined the Center Party and was given the position without a competitive hiring process. Mihhail Kõlvart also played a role in the appointment, as he was the deputy mayor in charge of sports at the time," Ossinovski said.

According to Ossinovski, it became apparent as early as 2016 that Glebova was not capable of managing the center.

"An internal audit by the city government revealed disorder at the Tondiraba Sports Hall, chaos in the procurement process and a serious risk of corruption. Unfortunately, that criticism was not followed by any concrete consequences. The Center Party allowed Glebova to continue in her role without interruption, enabling her to remain at the helm of one of the city's most important sports centers for a decade."

Ossinovski said that one of his first priorities upon becoming mayor was to bring order to Tallinn's sports centers.

"That's precisely why we launched a major reform last year to consolidate seven sports centers under a unified professional management. The Tondiraba case clearly shows why that was necessary. Glebova's arrest doesn't come as a surprise to me — the problems at the Tondiraba Ice Hall had been known for a long time, and the city government has been working closely with the police."