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No bribery charges for police comms chief

A Helsinki police chief was suspected of getting election funding from the same company used by the police department.

Juha Hakola kuvattuna Pasilan Poliisitalolla Helsingissä tammikuussa 2017.
Bribery charges against police chief Juha Hakola were dropped on Monday. Image: Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva
  • Yle News

No charges over suspected bribery will be laid against Juha Hakola, Helsinki Police communications director, prosecutor Anja-Riitta Rinkinen told news agency STT on Monday.

Police previously suspected Hakola of receiving more than 3,000 euros in election funding from a restaurant that the police department also patronised to the tune of thousands of euros. Hakola was a National Coalition Party MP from 2007-2011.

The prosecutor told STT that she deemed it unnecessary to prosecute as Hakola didn’t know that he was receiving campaign funding from the same restaurant police also used for official functions with visitors.

Two other people were suspected in the bribery case; prosecutors also decided against charging them.

Hakola is also a Helsinki City Councillor.