Finnish military official suspected of taking bribes in Afghanistan

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The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Defence Staff suspect that a Finn serving as an interpreter in the Finnish crisis management forces in Afghanistan has taken bribes while working in the capital Kabul.
      Finnish police say that the man is suspected of having taken bribes or kickbacks on more than one occasion from local building contractors.
      The suspected bribery is linked with humanitarian aid projects, in which Finnish forces contract construction work from outside companies. Officials suspect that the soldier in question took money from contractors in return for building contracts in the hands of the Finns.
     
Two investigators from the NBI and one from the Defence Staff will go to Afghanistan on Tuesday of next week to investigate the allegations.
      The investigators want to find out from local builders if bribes have been solicited from them, and if they have paid them.
      The Finnish investigators will not say yet how long the suspect may have been accepting tainted money. The man first arrived in Kabul two and a half years ago. The investigators are now going through all of the events of his service history.
      No details were given as to what the interpreter may have promised to do, or to refrain from doing, in return for the bribes.
      "It is clear that an interpreter has the role of an interpreter; however, some may have a greater role than others", says NBI investigator Olli Töyräs.
      "One must also take into account the environment where they are operating. The language is completely foreign, and the culture is different."
     
The Finnish investigators say that the sums of money involved appear to be fairly small. Töyräs says that the importance of the alleged corruption is underscored by the fact that the Finnish peacekeepers are in Afghanistan doing civilian crisis management, and working to raise the local society back on its feet.
      Töyräs said on Wednesday that he did not believe the suspicions would spread to include other Finns working in Afghanistan.
      The matter came to light a couple of weeks ago as a result of suspicions voiced within the Finnish force in the country. The suspect was discharged from his duties on August 25th, and was sent back to Finland. He was detained briefly, and has since been released. During interrogation he denied taking any bribes.
     
The first Finnish peacekeeping troops joined the ISAF operation in Afghanistan in January 2002.
      There are currently around 100 Finns working in the country, one-third of them in the capital Kabul and the remainder in the north of the country.


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