Central Criminal Police arrest four Patria employees suspected of bribery

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On Tuesday, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided the premises of the Finnish state-owned defence equipment manufacturer Patria in Vammala, Tampere, Hämeenlinna, and Helsinki.
      Police units also carried out house searches in the province of Pirkanmaa and in the Greater Helsinki area.
     
Four employees of Patria were arrested in connection with the police operation relating to the suspected bribery associated with the company’s artillery gun contract in Egypt. The value of the deal, signed in 1999, was approximately EUR 20 million.
      In connection with their own investigations, the NBI detained three Patria employees already in May, of whom one is still in custody. None of these employees belong to the highest management of the Patria Group.
      While the documents have been declared confidential, it has been reported that the person in custody is suspected of aggravated bribery during the period from January 21st 2004 to February 7th 2007.
      Formal charges against the accused will have to be filed by August 14th.
     
The investigations into Patria’s Egypt project were launched after Helsingin Sanomat reported in March 2007 that retired Lt. Col. Erkki Heinilä, who had acted as Patria’s military adviser for the duration of the Egypt project, had claimed that there were problems with the weapons, while the client was kept in the dark about them.
      According to Heinilä, there was reason to suspect Patria of bribery in connection with the deal.
      Moreover, Patria has itself requested an investigation into whether information related to the Egyptian project has been published in a manner violating company confidentiality.
      The Patria CEO Jorma Wiitakorpi has vehemently denied any allegations of bribery, insisting that neither the company nor its employees are guilty of any wrongdoing.
      According to Detective Inspector Janne Järvinen, the criminal investigations into both allegations are being continued.
     
At the same time, Patria is also suspected of bribery in connection with the company’s vehicle contract in Slovenia. The contract was signed in December 2006, representing the biggest defence equipment deal in Slovenia’s history.
      Soon allegations of bribery started escalating in Slovenia, going deep into the country’s leadership, including politicians and senior civil servants.
      Detective Inspector Kaj-Erik Björkqvist is in charge of the investigations in Finland, while in Slovenia the country’s entire corps of investigative journalists have made a point of digging into the matter.
     
In Slovenia a parliamentary commission of inquiry was established in March 2007 to investigate the tender process relating to the sales contract concluded between Patria Vehicles Oy and the State of Slovenia.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Adviser accuses Patria of questionable selling tactics (1.3.2007)
  Finland´s central criminal police to investigate Patria deals in Slovenia and Egypt (15.5.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat