The Joker gang, known for its violence, appeared before the court in Tallinn. The group is accused of working in a criminal organization and spreading to Finland. Almost the whole group is ready to confess or has confessed.
Finland and ten men of the “Joker” group, known in Estonian criminal circles, appeared before the judge on Thursday in Tallinn's Harju district court.
According to the indictment, they belong to a criminal organization that has committed various property and financial crimes and gained respect in the Finnish and Estonian underworld through violence.
In the course of ten years, ten criminal organizations have been sentenced in Estonia, which were the responsibility of the Estonian state prosecutor Raigo Aasin including the Joker's group of influence.
According to Aas, the characteristic features of the Joker group are ties to Finland, financial crimes and violence. Helsingin sanomat newspaper told before the trial about the connections of Joker's group to Finland.
Two of the men were acquitted of human trafficking in the Helsinki District Court in the summer, but the case has been moved to the Court of Appeal. The human trafficking allegations were related to the transfer of labor as light contractors for construction. In addition, according to Aasi, the Finnish police are also investigating other criminal suspicions, which also concern a third of the accused in Estonia.
Eight defendants were brought into the courtroom from prison. The “Joker”, who is claimed to be the leader of the group, is third from the left. The two defendants without masks and the two defendants sitting in the audience are not visible in the photo.
When the accused greeted his acquaintances in the audience, the handcuffs came out before the start of the court session.
When the courtroom door opened to the public, eight men mostly dressed in black shirts were already sitting on the defendant's bench. Their chatter filled the hall as if we were in a cafe. The handcuffs were revealed when the defendants waved and gestured to their acquaintances sitting in the audience.
The courtroom was a familiar place for all the accused. Almost all of them have previous convictions for, among other things, violent crimes.
Eight real police officers guarded the hall while the photographers got a moment to photograph the crowd. Only two of the men sitting on the defendant's bench had not covered their faces with a mask.
The bald man behind the disposable mask was the 51-year-old “Jokeri”, the alleged founder and leader of the group, who gained a reputation as an intelligent street brawler. He was talking to men who were claimed to be his right-hand men and bodyguards.
The neighbor behind the disposable mask was a 46-year-old man accused of recruiting members, who has worked as a temporary labor agency in the construction industry in Finland. He smiled, waved towards the audience to his acquaintances and chatted animatedly with the other defendants.
Suddenly the group of men fell silent and stood up. Andra Sild arrived in the hall in his black judge's robe.
Judge Andra Sild opened the court session. Defense attorneys sat before the judge.
Judge Sild asked the accused to tell their date of birth, place of residence and place of work. “In Finland or Estonia?” asked one of the men. And another: “I don't remember the Estonian address.”
Everyone has jobs. Jokeri said his workplace was his forestry company in Estonia. Others operate in different fields, such as logistics and construction, labor rental, investment and insurance, online shopping, and a company that organizes street work. Many are company owners, board members or vice presidents.
Nine defendants are Estonian citizens born in the 1970s and 1980s, and one is a Russian citizen. There was an interpreter in the hall for him.
Seven defendants had been arrested in April in Estonia or Finland in a joint police operation.
Defense attorneyseach accused his own, sit at a long table in the middle of the hall.
The session was just beginning when the reason for the accused's relaxed nature was revealed. The five defense attorneys announced in turn that their principal has already held plea negotiations and wants to withdraw from the joint trial.
Plea bargaining means a compromise, as a result of which the accused confess their crime and in return receive a lighter sentence. The prosecutor and the accused make a sentencing proposal to the judge.
So five men have already confessed and found a compromise with the prosecutor and the parties involved. In addition, Jokeri and the two men announced that the prosecution negotiations are in progress. So they too would be ready to confess their crime.
“The solution is close,” prosecutor Raigo Aas confirmed.
Acting in an organized criminal group can result in a maximum of 13 years in prison, and leading a criminal group and recruiting members can result in a maximum of 15 years in prison in Estonia.
Litigation will continue in May for at least two accused. They did not indicate that they wanted a plea bargain. These two defendants demand more precise information about the police's tracking actions and their legality.
In the spring, the judge is supposed to confirm the sentencing motions of the five who confessed to the crime.
If the negotiations between Joker and the prosecutor end in a compromise, a decision regarding Joker can be expected in the summer. The judge's task then remains only to confirm the pre-negotiated agreement.
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