Vantaa District Court on Friday ruled that fines issued by private parking lot supervision companies do not have to be paid.
The court based its ruling on the argument that only the police or municipal parking supervisors can issue fines, even for violations in private parking lots.
The private company involved in the case, ParkCom Oy, was ordered to pay court costs.
ParkCom has announced it will appeal the decision. It says that the district court ruling does not have the force of law and that it will continue its operations, including issuing parking tickets.
The Office of the Consumer Ombudsman has not yet told motorists who received parking tickets issued by private companies not to pay the fines, but it is advising them to file a complaint so that the money can be recovered, if the lower court ruling is upheld.