A preliminary probe by Finnish authorities has found that they do in fact have jurisdiction in a matter concerning a former Business Finland (BF) employee in the US suspected of stealing millions in Finnish taxpayers' money.
The public business funding agency has said bookkeeping irregularities between 2011 and 2017 totalled 4.8 million US dollars, or roughly 4.4 million euros at current exchange rates.
"Based on the findings of the preliminary investigation, there is reason to suspect that a crime occurred, and that Finnish authorities have the jurisdiction to conduct a criminal investigation. The preliminary investigation was initiated by the prosecutor," the police said in a press release.
Last September, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) launched a preliminary probe into suspected misuse of public funds related to the operations of the state-owned FinPro, which has since become part of the business promotion agency Business Finland.
Business Finland filed a civil lawsuit in a US court against the former employee in 2018, but the case was sent to a bankruptcy court after the employee filed for personal bankruptcy last spring.
BF suspects that the employee misled FinPro by altering bank statements. In 2021 news magazine Suomen Kuvalehti reported that the individual used the money for things like a luxury French vacation, home improvements, country club memberships and private school fees.
