Riigikogu closes seven-year loophole on mobile speed camera warnings
Riigikogu on Wednesday, 17.06.2026, approved a long-overdue legal correction to address a seven-year-old legislative deception involving mobile speed cameras, lawmaker Valdo Randpere (RE) confirmed in a Kuku morning radio interview . The amendment closes a loophole that had allowed police to omit warning signs on mobile devices, a practice first disclosed in 2019 but never corrected until today. Randpere stressed the change is “not revenge against the police, but restoring justice,” noting that earlier assurances from authorities that warnings were always posted proved legally unsustainable.
The correction follows a 2019 police statement that mobile speed cameras were always accompanied by warning signs, a claim later contradicted by legal analysis showing the legislation did not mandate such warnings. The new law explicitly requires visible warnings whenever mobile devices are deployed, aligning enforcement with the original legislative intent. Randpere’s remarks came as the Estonian parliament moved to finalise the amendment before the day’s plenary session closed.
The episode has reignited scrutiny of police transparency and legislative accuracy, with critics arguing the seven-year delay undermined public trust in traffic enforcement. Police had previously defended their practice, citing operational necessity, but legal experts argued the absence of warnings violated procedural fairness. The amendment’s swift passage reflects cross-party recognition of the error, though some lawmakers questioned why the correction had not been addressed sooner.
In a separate but related development, two Riigikogu members, Luisa Värk and Kadri Tali, have faced criticism for engaging in social media advertising for jewelry, furniture, and car promotions, a practice that drew scrutiny after former finance minister Mart Võrklaev was ordered by the Estonian Party Funding Supervision Committee (ERJK) to repay nearly €5,000 for political advertising related to Škoda cars . Võrklaev’s case prompted ERJK to issue guidelines clarifying that personal endorsements of commercial products by elected officials may constitute undeclared political advertising. Värk and Tali defended their posts as legitimate personal endorsements, arguing they were not acting in an official capacity.
The twin developments underscore ongoing tensions between transparency, legislative accuracy, and public accountability in Estonia’s political and law enforcement spheres. With the speed-camera amendment now law, attention is expected to shift to broader questions of police practice and the ethical boundaries of elected officials’ public endorsements.
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