Helsonki, Jan 13: Estonia's prime minister has handed in his resignation to the Baltic country's president after a corruption scandal investigated by the police and prosecutors in his Centre Party led to key party officials resigning overnight.

The move automatically prompts the resignation of Estonia's three-party coalition government. Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said early Wednesday on his Facebook page that he would step down as “the suspicion expressed by the Public Prosecutor's Office .... does not mean that someone is definitely guilty but they will inevitably cast a serious shadow over all those involved”.

“In such a situation, it seems only right that, by resigning myself, I will give the opportunity to shed light on all the facts and come to clarity,” Ratas wrote on Facebook. Ratas said he personally has not done anything wrong.