Estonian FM resigns due to father's scandal

Estonian Foreign Minister Keit Pentus-Rosimannus announced on Wednesday afternoon that she will step down, following the Tallinn Circuit Court decision on Tuesday claimed she partly liable for debt accumulated by his dad's bankrupt company Autorollo.

In a statement to the media, the lady minister said "Contrary to earlier county court judgment, the circuit court ruled that I'm liable to pay back the debt left by my dad's former company during the economic crisis."

"I do not agree with this ruling -- it is unjust and I will appeal to the Supreme Court," the minister stated.

"A respect for Estonia, its institutions, and for European political culture, does not leave me a choice but to step down from my job as the foreign minister. I delivered my letter of resignation to Prime Minister Taavi Roivas this afternoon,"she added.

According to the detailed news report by the Estonian Broadcasting Corporation (ERR), the Autorollo scandal, as it is known in Estonia, first caught the public eye in 2012. The now defunct trucking company was owned by Vaino Pentus, the father of Keit Pentus-Rosimannus.

The public attention in this case came from the fact that before the bankruptcy, Autorollo was drained of money over a short period from 2010-2011.

A large amount of money was withdrawn from the firm's account and some of the bank transfers were made from the personal IP addresses of Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, Estonia's foreign minister since November, 2014.

Vaino Pentus testified at one point at court during the previous civil case that part of the money that was intended for Autorollo was used to build Pentus-Rosimannus's house in Tallinn's Viimsi district instead; he later recanted.