Last week, the political party Koos approached the National Electoral Committee with concerns that it has been unable to open a bank account. The same concern has now been raised with the Political Party Funding Supervision Committee (ERJK). Responses from banks indicate that they are refusing to open an account, citing the prevention of terrorism and money laundering risks.
Last week, Koos sent a letter to the National Electoral Committee stating that it has been unable to open a bank account with credit institutions operating in Estonia. According to Igor Hopp, a member of the party’s board, this means the party is also unable to pay the security deposit required to submit an electoral list.
Koos has now also contacted the ERJK, saying that without a bank account it is difficult for the party to properly report its financial transactions.
“Between 2023 and 2026, the party has repeatedly approached credit institutions operating in Estonia to open an account, but has received refusals from several major banks,” Hopp wrote.
Hopp shared the party’s email exchanges with banks with ERR, which show that Luminor, LHV, Swedbank, Citadele, and Coop Bank have all refused to open an account for the party.
In their responses, the credit institutions that denied the request cited similar reasons, consistently referring to their risk policies and to requirements related to preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
The responses received so far have raised the question, Hopp wrote to the ERJK, of whether all political parties in Estonia in practice have equal opportunities to implement their political views.
There are four additional credit institutions in Estonia that Koos has not yet contacted. Hopp confirmed to ERR that the party plans to approach them as well to try to open an account.
If the remaining banks also refuse the party’s application, Koos plans to seek the opinion of the Chancellor of Justice, as the party believes that such a refusal to open a bank account would run counter to the constitutional principle of political freedom.
In December 2025, Koos party co‑chair Aivo Peterson was found guilty of treason by Estonian Harju District Court and sentenced to 14 years in prison. In April 2026, the Tallinn Circuit Court upheld the conviction and increased the sentence to 16 years.
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