Emperor Aarnio, a compelling narrative about the heady rise and eventual fall of former Helsinki drug squad chief Jari Aarnio has been granted the 2018 Lauri Jäntti Foundation Award.
The book was written by Helsingin Sanomat journalists Minna Passi and Susanna Reinboth and was based on their extensive reporting on a riveting case in which a top anti-drug police officer was eventually indicted on a slew of offences including official misconduct, fraud, accepting bribes and drug offences.
The duo will share the award as well as a cash prize of 15,000 euros.
"Minna Passi and Susanna Reinboth have succeeded in compiling a vast amount of source material and countless interviews into a book that takes readers on a high-speed ride from the first page," foundation chair Claes von Heiroth said on behalf of the jury.
A page-turner that shook Helsinki police
The panel said that the journalists were granted the award "for an enthrallingly-written story that has shaken the foundations of the police, one of the most trusted institutions in Finnish society." It added that Emperor Aarnio is an example of quality investigative journalism, with a story that in itself beggars belief.
"There is such a vast quantity of material on the operations of the Helsinki drug police that we were afraid that on the basis of the news reporting alone, people might not understand what the Aarnio case was all about or how serious it is," Reinboth told HS.
Aarnio was first detained in 2013 after "Saara" a prostitute with whom he associated blew the whistle on his actions. He received his first conviction for aggravated official misconduct in 2015. Further convictions followed in 2016 for fraud, accepting bribes and misconduct and later that year he was slapped with a 10-year prison sentence for a raft of offences including drug crimes.
Aarnio has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and late last year re-appeared in court to appeal the 10-year sentence. A Finnish television series of the same name is set to air from April.
Apart from the HS journalists, three other writers received honourable mentions: Hannu Himanen, Sami Kirjalainen and Sixtén Korkman.
