TALLINN. Aug 14 (Interfax) - Former interior minister Juri Pihl has said he ordered in 2007, during his ministerial stint, that Estonia's intelligence services fire all their officers who used to serve at former Soviet security agency KGB.
When Estonia had just regained its independence, the Internal Security Service (KaPo) couldn't avoid hiring former KGB technical personnel as they knew how to operate the Estonian agency's newly acquired equipment, Pihl, who headed KaPo before being appointed interior minister, told Estonian daily Postimees.
Pihl was commenting on a recent arrest of ex-KGB officer Vladimir Veitman, who had served at KaPo and is accused of spying for Russia. His interview appeared in Monday's issue of Postimees.
"Those people were told immediately: You'll start from scratch, you'll never be part of the top tier, nor will you become analysts. Your work will be limited to your specialist field, and assistance will be your sole task. They were notified about this from the very start and accepted these terms," Pihl said.
"There were no refusals. There were about 10 of them and not 30 as the media say. Moreover, we knew who we could talk to about employment and who we couldn't," he said.
He expressed surprise at KaPo's failing to pension off all its ex-KGB personnel.
He said he didn't return to the matter thereafter and that he didn't immediately learn about the Veitman scandal.