Minister of Economic Affairs Mauri Pekkarinen denies any impropriety in his dealings with the furniture company Suomi-Soffa Tehdas. The firm is one of the financial backers of the KMS association, which is at the heart of the campaign finance debate. As Minister of Trade and Industry in late 2006, Centre Party veteran Pekkarinen approved state investment subsidies for the sofa manufacturer. In early 2007 Suomi-Soffa bought a set of paintings for 5,000 euros from Pekkarinen's supporters' association. The minister denies any link between the two events. On Tuesday he said that Chancellor of Justice Jaakko Jonkka had looked into the case and found nothing suspicious. PM: Case Closed Pekkarinen says he plans to return the 5,000 euros to Suomi-Soffa anyway. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said he discussed the matter thoroughly with Pekkarinen last week, and that the Justice Chancellor's statement means the matter is closed. Vanhanen spoke after an extraordinary meeting of the Centre Party's parliamentary group at the Prime Minister's Residence in Helsinki's Meilahti district. Art Deals Convenient Financing Mode At least two other Centre Party cabinet members used art deals as a source of campaign funding: Minister of Social Affairs and Health Liisa Hyssälä and Minister of Mari Kiviniemi. Art dealers note that selling artwork can be a convenient way of raising funds since there is no objective measure of its true value. So a supporter can knowingly overpay for artwork as a way of supporting a candidate without being officially listed as a contributor. YLE
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