Court Rejects MEP's Challenge Over Campaign Expenses

The Tallinn Administrative Court on Tuesday dismissed European Parliament member Jaak Madison's appeal seeking to overturn an order by the Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee (ERJK) requiring him to repay €14,900 in advertising costs. The expenses were related to an event held at the Apollo Cinema in Tallinn's Solaris Center.

The ERJK had determined that public events at the Keila Cultural Center and the Solaris Center in April 2024, along with their promotion on Kanal 2, constituted election advertising. At the time, Madison was running on the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) list, later joining the Center Party.

The court found that both the advertising expenses and venue rental costs should be treated as campaign expenses for the 2024 European Parliament elections. Consequently, donations that meet the definition of prohibited contributions under the Political Parties Act may not be used to cover those costs, regardless of the recipient's status as a political party, party-list candidate, or independent candidate.

Because the event was paid for by Madison's then-European Parliament political group, Identity and Democracy (ID), the court ruling requires Madison to reimburse the group.

Madison told ERR that he will likely appeal the decision, disagreeing with the court's reasoning. He criticized the competence of first-instance courts and alleged political bias in their rulings. He also questioned how the administrative court could assess visual symbols.

In addition to dismissing the appeal, the court rejected Madison's request to seek a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union, a decision he said he does not understand.

The court ordered each party to bear its own legal costs. The ruling has not yet entered into force.