Inquiry Regarding the Activities of Bailiffs (no 807)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 6th sitting, plenary session
Date: 2025-09-22 21:15
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 55
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 49m
AI Summaries: 55/55 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The Riigikogu debated Interpellation No. 807, submitted to the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, concerning the activities of enforcement agents (bailiffs). The interpellation was triggered by articles published in the newspaper Õhtuleht regarding bailiffs Enno Kermik and Priit Petter. The interpellators (Lauri Laats, Vadim Belobrovtsev, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, Peeter Ernits, and Vladimir Arhipov) highlighted cases where enforcement agents acquired property from auctions they themselves organized or through close relatives, earned rental income, and essentially operated as entrepreneurs, which has caused a widespread crisis of confidence.
Minister Pakosta acknowledged the seriousness of the problems, emphasizing that acquiring property involving a conflict of interest is not consistent with the official duties of an enforcement agent. She explained that the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs carries out administrative supervision on a needs basis, but resources are limited (essentially 1.5 positions). Over the past nine years, more than 1,700 appeals have been received, resulting in 17 disciplinary proceedings being initiated and one enforcement agent being removed from office. The Minister noted that many of the violations described in the media have expired under the statute of limitations, as offenses expire after three years. Pakosta highlighted that the Ministry is working on a development plan for a "quick reform of enforcement proceedings," the goal of which is to transfer the collection of state claims to the Tax and Customs Board. This should reduce the number of enforcement agents to 10–15, allowing for more effective supervision. The Minister also stressed the importance of debt counseling services in assisting debtors. Lauri Laats and Peeter Ernits criticized the lack of transparency in the system and the state's insufficient support for representatives of liberal professions, such as enforcement agents, which has fostered systemic problems.
Decisions Made 1
No decisions were made
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi introduced the fifth item on the agenda of the Riigikogu session: an interpellation submitted on June 19, 2025, by members of the faction (including Lauri Laats) to the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, regarding the activities of bailiffs. Following this, he gave the floor to Lauri Laats, the representative of the questioners.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Riigikogu took up, under the fifth item on the agenda, Interpellation No. 807 to the Minister of Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, concerning the activities of judicial enforcement officers. The interpellation was submitted by Lauri Laats, Vadim Belobrovtsev, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, Peeter Ernits, and Vladimir Arhipov, and Lauri Laats is invited to the rostrum on behalf of the questioners.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats introduced the interpellation submitted to the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, which was prompted by Õhtuleht articles concerning the suspicious transactions of bailiffs Enno Kermik and Priit Petter, who acquired real estate at unusually favorable prices from auctions they organized themselves, seeking to know the Minister's position and the actions undertaken.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats stated that the detailed article published in Õhtuleht on June 17–18 concerning bailiffs Enno Kermik and Priit Petter revealed suspicions regarding auctions they themselves organized and transactions involving companies owned by close relatives, which prompted the drafting of an inquiry and the submission of six questions to the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
At the request of the interpellators, Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta will take the floor in the Riigikogu.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta admitted that serious and long-standing problems exist in the activities of bailiffs, concerning the acquisition of assets that create conflicts of interest and prohibited business activities (real estate rental). She stressed that although the ministry conducts needs-based administrative oversight and has processed thousands of complaints, the resources for supervision (1.5 positions) are insufficient. She confirmed that the acquisition of assets that create a conflict of interest is not compatible with official duties. As a solution, the ministry sees the implementation of the reform plan initiated in 2018, which would significantly reduce the number of bailiffs to ensure better legal compliance and more effective supervision.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
According to the report, the administrative supervision of bailiffs is needs-based and operates with limited resources. Risks of conflict of interest are present, and the need for rapid reform and additional control is being discussed. However, it is emphasized that the determination of damages and the application of sanctions fall to the courts, not the ministry.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanks the audience, announces that there are questions from the floor, and Vladimir Arhipov begins posing the questions.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanked the audience and opened the floor for the question-and-answer session, granting the right to ask the first question to Vladimir Arkhipov.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov emphasized that there was consensus regarding the areas of concern, and asked the presenter whether this would also entail legislative amendments. He simultaneously requested clarification on whether the statute of limitations for the proceedings was truly three years and if there were any plans to change it.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov asks whether the areas of concern will lead to corresponding amendments to the law, and whether, after three years have passed during the proceedings, the case can either be dismissed or pardoned, and furthermore, whether there are plans to change this practice of pardoning.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
The legislative amendment, aimed at having the Tax and Customs Board begin collecting state claims, would reduce the number of enforcement agents and increase the state's recovery rate. Furthermore, the three-year statute of limitations and the issue of legal finality are being debated, while free debt counselors provided by local governments offer assistance to debtors.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta introduced a legislative amendment under which the Tax and Customs Board (MTA) would begin collecting the state’s small claims. These claims are currently unattractive for judicial bailiffs. The goal of the amendment is to improve collection rates and streamline the bailiff system. Furthermore, she emphasized issues concerning legal certainty regarding debt obligations and the statute of limitations, and urgently called upon all debtors to seek free assistance from local government debt counselors to find the most suitable solutions for their debt problems.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi asked Lauri Laats to come forward.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats noted that the systemic and increasingly pervasive crisis of confidence has now reached the realm of enforcement agents, where instances of long-term theft from the public have been uncovered, and he demanded concrete solutions from the minister to mitigate the situation and restore public trust.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats highlighted a widespread crisis of confidence and the manifestation of systemic flaws, including problems within the bailiff system, and asked what the concrete solutions are for alleviating the situation.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Gratitude was expressed in the speech.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
According to Liisa-Ly Pakosta, the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, restoring trust requires solving the issues that have accumulated over the past 20 to 25 years. Although the reform was initiated in 2018 and progress has been slow due to a shortage of financial resources, plans are underway to implement the first solution—a system of debt counselors for quick assistance—and to discuss further ideas (including the supervision of the insolvency service). Furthermore, a corresponding analysis and the implementation of the enforcement register are planned for next year, with one and the same person being responsible for both.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta confirmed that although the reform initiated to solve long-known problems has been delayed due to a lack of funds, the intention is now to move forward by offering people quick assistance through the debt counseling system and considering, in the future, transferring the supervision function to the Insolvency Service, the analysis of which is planned for next year.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi invites Vadim Belobrovtsev to speak.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
He is posing two questions to the minister: whether international experience in solving problems could be applied in Estonia, and how the state could help people who have been harmed by the arbitrary or fraudulent actions of bailiffs.
Vadim Belobrovtsev
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Vadim Belobrovtsev is posing two questions to the minister: firstly, whether it is possible for Estonia to implement international best practices when solving problems, and secondly, how the state intends to assist those citizens who have suffered due to the arbitrary and unethical actions of certain bailiffs, actions which have damaged the reputation of the entire profession.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta analyzed the two approaches to the bailiff system (public vs. private law), stressing that while the private law model currently in force in Estonia has significantly evolved since the 2001 reform and the enforcement of monetary fines began in 2011, the work of bailiffs is extremely complex, particularly when ensuring compliance with child visitation rights, which requires different qualifications than the simple collection of monetary claims and better supervision separate from the ministry, and she confirmed that any fraudulent activity is strictly prohibited, recommending that people utilize the services of debt counselors.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
In her presentation, Liisa-Ly Pakosta pointed out that Estonia has had two models for the bailiff system: public enforcement officers working under the courts, and private service providers operating under state conditions. While the 2011 pecuniary penalty and the evolution of supervision have improved the situation, complex visitation order cases, such as ensuring the schedule between parents, remain a major challenge, and the use of debt counselors’ services was emphasized.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi addresses Peeter Ernits and asks him.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits is asking the minister whether he has met with the members and board of the Chamber of Bailiffs and Bankruptcy Trustees, heard their concerns, and what he thinks about those concerns, stating that he is speaking on their behalf.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits asked the Minister whether he had personally met with the management of the Chamber of Bailiffs and Bankruptcy Trustees on their premises to hear their concerns and ideas, and requested that the Minister express his viewpoint on those problems.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
He highlights two main concerns: the complexity of court and enforcement proceedings arising from cross-border incomes and foreign banks, and the human dimension of child handover situations, along with the increase in potential conflicts and emotional suffering.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, highlighted two problems of great social significance concerning the work of judicial bailiffs. Firstly, the movement of income and bank accounts outside Estonia and the European Union, which makes debt collection complicated and time-consuming due to the requirement for international proceedings. Secondly, there are the extremely difficult and emotionally draining cases related to the handover of children, where the bailiff must contend with both the physical resistance of the parent and the child's deep distress and need for comforting.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanks the Minister, announces that there are no further questions, opens the negotiations, and addresses Lauri Laats.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats expressed profound concern regarding the actions of enforcement agents, which have triggered a widespread crisis of confidence in connection with the cases involving Enno Kermik and Priit Petter, due to suspicions of theft from individuals and the illegal misappropriation of assets. He stressed that this long-standing issue (dating back to 2015) demands immediate action, while simultaneously criticizing the Ministry of Justice's failure to ensure sufficient oversight, citing a chronic lack of resources. He urgently called for systemic improvements to guarantee the rights of all parties involved in the proceedings and to restore public trust.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats emphasized that the violations committed by judicial bailiffs since 2015, particularly the case involving two individuals, have created a crisis of confidence and uncertainty. He stressed that these issues require better supervision and greater resources, as the current system is unable to ensure lawful procedure and prevent the disposal of assets in favor of relatives.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi asks for two extra minutes.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats considers the issue of enforcement agents a systemic failure that has resulted in a widespread crisis of trust. He believes that the Minister of Justice's primary obligation must be to request additional funding and ensure the system's transparency through rigorous, random inspections, in order to restore public confidence and reduce the high volume of complaints, which will inevitably continue if the current situation is allowed to persist.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats emphasizes that, due to the crisis of confidence, the minister’s primary duty must be to seek additional resources and implement spot checks on the work of bailiffs in order to boost transparency and public trust. He notes that the issue is systemic, and complaints will persist until that trust is restored.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Deputy Speaker thanked the audience and invited his colleague, Vladimir Arhipov, to the Riigikogu rostrum to speak next.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov believes that the government’s agreement to bring hundreds of Swedish prisoners to Estonia poses a significant risk, arguing that it increases the burden on internal security, reduces access to healthcare and the labor market, and offers no long-term benefit to the Estonian economy.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov began by acknowledging the necessity of reforming the bailiff sector and expressing hope for more humane legislation, but he primarily focused on sharply criticizing the Minister of Justice’s plan to bring hundreds of Swedish prisoners to Estonia. He warned that this "source of great income for a small country" is, in reality, a high-risk agreement that threatens Estonia's internal security, burdens the already strained healthcare system, and is questionable from the standpoint of a long-term labor market strategy, ultimately bringing new problems and additional strain to the state.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi apologizes for the interruption, explaining that a different interpellation is currently being handled, but he understands the colleague's wish, and the discussion will take place on Monday.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi intervened politely to draw his colleague’s attention to the deviation from the topic, explaining that the matter under discussion belonged to the previous interpellation, and confirming that the desired topic would be discussed again on Monday.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arkhipov says he will conclude his speech with a single sentence.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
This is a very short address, where Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi says "yes" and repeats "please, please."
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The core message of the speech is that increasing Estonia's productivity and prosperity should not involve importing foreign criminals, as this is incomprehensible, unfair to the Estonian people, and detrimental to the country's future.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov sharply criticizes the current situation, arguing that the state’s strategic goal of increasing productivity and prosperity has been replaced by the importation of foreign criminals, emphasizing that this is an unfair and unacceptable path for Estonia’s future.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The address thanks the audience and invites Peeter Ernits to speak.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits shares his experience from meetings with judicial enforcement officers and bankruptcy trustees, who represent a liberal profession. He emphasizes that the state has essentially washed its hands of them—they must manage independently, are jointly responsible for vast sums of money, and tackle society’s most difficult problems, all while receiving low remuneration. This situation points to a systemic concern that also threatens, for instance, the availability of notary services in remote regions.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits emphasizes that court enforcement officers, bankruptcy administrators, and notaries are representatives of independent professions whom the state does not finance and who must be self-sufficient. This situation threatens the availability of their services, especially the absence of notaries in peripheral regions.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller asks whether more time is desired.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits says he'll take a couple of minutes.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits made a brief intervention, confirming his desire to limit himself to just a couple of minutes.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller requests three additional minutes.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits emphasized the need to protect people and prevent the misuse of assets, arguing that officials must return to the ground level, meet directly and discuss matters with the heads of various institutions, rather than just issuing orders from Stenbock House.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits emphasizes that people who have fallen into difficulty must be protected, and there needs to be stronger control over officials handling their assets. He calls upon the Riigikogu and the government to stop issuing directives from a distance, but instead to come down to earth and genuinely engage with institutions, despite the slow grinding of the state bureaucracy.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Arvo Aller closed the debate after the Minister confirmed he had no further remarks, and simultaneously announced the conclusion of the consideration of today's fifth agenda item.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The Minister did not wish to add anything further, concluding the negotiations, and the fifth item on today's agenda is now complete.