A court in Lahti, southern Finland, has wrapped up proceedings aimed at dissolving the motorcycle gang Cannonball. Päijät-Häme District Court is to hand down its decision on 8 June.
Prosecutors are seeking the abolition of Cannonball, which courts have previously ruled is a criminal organisation.
They also asked for the group to be suspended while the court considers its final decision. However, the district court dismissed prosecutors' demand for a temporary shutdown.
According to prosecutors, the main purpose of Cannonball's activities is to commit crimes. They also demanded that an affiliate called Squad 32 be abolished as well, citing the Association Act. Cannonball has previously been identified as an organised criminal group in several court rulings.
Since 2020, Finnish authorities have abolished the criminal group United Brotherhood (UB) and a neo-Nazi group called the Nordic Resistance Movement (PVL), despite concerns that forcing them underground would make their activities harder to monitor.
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