The Jari Aarnio trial continues to receive plentiful coverage in all the papers, as can probably be expected of a police corruption case of this scale. While other papers focus on allegations that Aarnio had a lengthy relationship with a prostitute, Iltalehti selects an example of the banal domesticity of an allegedly criminally-funded lifestyle.
The late-edition tabloid reports that, as part of the surveillance operation that eventually uncovered what prosecutors say is a huge criminal enterprise, investigators obtained location data for Aarnio's phone and matched it up with wiretap references to 'the man from Pasila' (Pasila is a Helsinki district home to both Helsinki police HQ and Yleisradio, among other organisations) made by those they suspected of criminal activity. They also checked the Kesko retail group loyalty card held by Aarnio's wife.
That not only confirmed some of the location data, but also revealed a penchant for spending large amounts of cash. In total, prosecutors believe the Aarnios spent 41,000 euros on building materials and received bonus points for the transactions--crucial information for the otherwise untraceable cash purchases. Overall they allege Aarnio had more than half a million euros of cash over a decade-long period stretching to 2013.
Aarnio denies any of the cash came from criminal activity, saying that he has always preferred paper money.
Summer job vouchers distorting market?
Hufvudstadsbladet carries news of the difficulties facing young people in the capital who are looking for a summer job. This year thousands of 16-year-olds will receive 'vouchers', which carry with them a municipal subsidy for the business that employs the holder. Unfortunately this is just a pilot project covering the less salubrious eastern and northern suburbs, leaving more centrally-located youngsters without public funding.
Yesterday Helsingin Sanomat published a letter from one pupil complaining that her school didn't get any vouchers and that has made her job search more difficult. HBL says many employers are now first and foremost looking to hire who bring in council cash, and anyone without a voucher is finding it much more difficult to find work over the summer holidays.
Helsinki's system is different to neighbouring Vantaa and Espoo, which give vouchers to those who apply first. Maria Routakorpi of the local council told HBL that the city wants to support all the youngsters in particular districts and try to give them a taste of working life.
Thanks PKN!
While PKN may have fallen short in Eurovision, Finland still loves them. That's the message from Helsingin Sanomat today, which carries a number of stories across the newspaper about learning-disabled people in different walks of life, all marked with a 'Thanks PKN' badge.
In an editorial the paper says the band have raised awareness and changed perceptions about mentally disabled people, while also increasing their self-confidence. The paper is donating all profits from today's edition to learning disability charities.
Hockey players' 'poor reputation'
Helsingin Sanomat's Nyt has a story close to the hearts of Finns, hockey players and barbecue fans everywhere. Saku Koivu, a former world champion and ex-captain of the Montreal Canadiens, wants to build a new, 35 sq m grill at his summer house in Turku but has been asked for more information by the city's planning authority.
So far, so normal, but not in a country where summer grilling is a way of life hockey players are among the more enthusiastic exponents of al fresco cooking. Hockey players get a short off-season and in Finland they tend to enjoy it by the barbecue and the water. National team handyman and all-round national treasure Timo Jutila has even made it part of his personal brand, coining the catchphrase 'nyt rillataan' ('now we're grilling' in Tampere dialect).
That obsession does not make hockey players popular with the neighbours, or with planners in Turku for that matter. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff got into hot water with the city authorities in 2009 for felling 42 trees without permission, while Jani Hurme also started work on a sauna and terrace structure without the correct permits.
"Ice hockey players don't have a good reputation around here," said a stern-sounding Mikaela Sundqvist, the Green League councillor who moved to delay Koivu's plans.