Finnish police on Saturday evening disembarked former Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas, who was allegedly drunk, from a plane at Helsinki Airport.
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Rõivas was part of the business delegation accompanying the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Margus Tsahkna, during his visit to Japan. The Estonian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the ex-prime minister was removed from the flight to Japan.
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The director of the Foreign Ministry’s public relations bureau, Liisa Toots, said that she was aware of the incident, but could not clarify why Rõivas was taken off the plane.
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“Members of the business delegation are free in their actions and decisions, and the ministry is not responsible for the members of the business delegation or their movements,” she emphasized.
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In turn, the Estonian newspaper Postimees claims, citing eyewitnesses of the incident, that Rõivas had an argument with the flight attendants on the plane.
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After some time, police arrived on board and took him out of the cabin. According to eyewitnesses, the former prime minister was very drunk before boarding the plane.
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Rõivas himself called the reports about his drunken state slander. According to him, on the plane he argued with the flight attendants about the use of the laptop. The former prime minister also filed a formal complaint with Finnair demanding compensation for damages.
