Kristen Michal (born 12 July 1975) is an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. member of the Estonian Reform Party, he was the minister of economic affairs and infrastructure in Taavi Rõivas' cabinet between 9 April 2015 and 22 November 2016. Previously, Michal served as the

minister of justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 2011 to 2012.

Early life and education

Michal was born in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

on 2 July 1975. He studied law at Academy Nord and graduated in 2009. He has been pursuing master's study in law at Tallinn University's Law School since 2009.

Political career

Michal worked as an advisor at different levels for the Reform Party from 1996 to 2002. He became an advisor to then prime minister

Siim Kallas Siim Kallas (; born 2 October 1948) is an Estonian politician, former Prime Minister of Estonia, and former European Commissioner. He served as the European Commissioner for Transport between 2010 and 2014. Before that he was the European Commi ...

in 2002. Michal served as the

Elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and ...

of the Tallinn City Centre for one year (2002–2003). In 2003, he was named as the secretary general of the Reform Party and held this post until 2011. Michal has been a member of the

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Just ...

from 2005 to 2011 and from 2012 to 2015. He was appointed

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

on 6 April 2011, replacing another Reform Party member Rein Lang. Michal's term ended on 10 December 2012, when he resigned from office. He was replaced by

Hanno Pevkur Hanno Pevkur (born 2 April 1977) is an Estonian politician who is currently the Minister of Defence. He is the former chairman of the Estonian Reform Party. He has served as the Minister of Social Affairs from 2009 to 2012, as the Minister of ...

as the minister of justice. From 9 April 2015 to 23 November 2016 he served as the minister of economic affairs and infrastructure.

Controversy

In May 2012, it was claimed by Silver Meikar, a Reform Party member and a former member of the Riigikogu, that the Reform Party has been receiving donations from dubious sources for years. He further argued that Michal was informed about these donations. Both Michal and Prime Minister

Andrus Ansip Andrus Ansip (; born 1 October 1956) is an Estonian politician, a member of the European Parliament, the former European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and Vice President of the European Commission, in office from 2014 until 2019. Previo ...

denied these allegations. However, upon these accusations, the delegates from the Council of Europe's GRECO anti-corruption watchdog visited the country in June 2012. On 31 July 2012, the Estonian State Prosecutor's Office announced that Michal and Kalev Lillo, another Reform Party member, were suspects of this event and that they both had been interrogated. Michal was investigated on accusations of

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdicti ...

and illegal party financing. On 10 September 2012, the first day of parliamentary session, the Social Democratic Party's faction started a petition process for the resignation of Michal through a vote of no confidence. However, petition failed on 19 September 2012 when the party gave up the process. Michal announced that if he would be found guilty, he would resign from his post. Estonian State Prosecutor's Office closed the case on 15 October 2012. On 15 October 2012, the prosecutor general closed the investigation. Back then, prosecutor Heli Sepp stated that the investigation was concluded with no evidence supporting the accusations.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michal, Kristen 21st-century Estonian politicians 1975 births Living people Politicians from Tallinn 21st-century Estonian lawyers Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007 Members of the Riigikogu, 2007–2011 Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015 Members of the Riigikogu, 2015–2019 Members of the Riigikogu, 2019–2023 Estonian Reform Party politicians Justice ministers of Estonia Government ministers of Estonia Tallinn University alumni