The organizer of a platform intended to raise money for drones for Ukraine has still not repaid outstanding funds as promised last month, and has also been portraying himself as an active raise of donations despite the last round not fully reaching its intended destination.
Henri Laupmaa, organizer of the toeta.me donation platform, took in nearly €225,000 in donations, with the intention being to purchase the drones from Estonian company Threod Systems, via a drones for Ukraine campaign.
However, this money did not reach Threod in its intended way, meaning Laupmaa had to pay it back to campaign organizers.
While he has been doing this in installments, €32,000 remains unpaid, though the pledge had been made last month to do so.
Drones for Ukraine campaign manager Roy Strider said: “Laupmaa has not made the payment.”
“The drone producer has clearly expressed in writing that they have no desire to meet or discuss anything further; they are simply awaiting the return of the funds for their intended purpose,” Strider went on.
Strider said that Laupmaa had returned €4,000 on Thursday, leaving €32,000 outstanding.
ERR reached out to Laupmaa, asking why the rest of money has still not been transferred.
His response was that “trust between us has been harmed,” and no meeting with Threod’s director has gone ahead
“We will do so once the project is concluded,” he added, while as for the outstanding funds “payments will be made as quickly as possible.”
Strider told ERR that Laupmaa had expressed a desire to meet with drone manufacturers Threod, in order to prepare a newsletter for the donors.
This meant, Strider said, that despite allegedly misappropriating donors’ funds and being the subject of a criminal investigation, Laupmaa is carrying on as if none of that is the case, something Strider called “astonishing.”
Strider also said that Laupmaa’s claims of being able to schedule a meeting with Threod at all was a false one.
The initial campaign aimed to raise funds to purchase 21 drones from Threod Systems, to be equipped with GPS jamming countermeasures which can both prolong a drone’s lifespan on the battlefield and help counter countermeasures from the Russian side.
Laupmaa told ERR last month month that he intended to meet with the drone manufacturers and expected to conclude the project within a couple of weeks from that time.
Strider was joined in the drone fundraiser by Eerik-Niiles Kross (Reform) and Juku-Kalle Raid (Eesti 200).
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.