Finnish police question Slovenian ex-PM on Patria bribery scandal

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According to a news report on the Nelonen television network, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been questioning Slovenia’s former Prime Minister Janez Jansa on suspicions of aggravated bribery offences in connection with a deal to supply the Slovenian armed forces with Finnish-made armoured vehicles.
      According to the report, the NBI would have demanded that Jansa be arrested if he had not submitted to the interrogation voluntarily.
      The NBI is involved in tripartite cooperation with the police of Slovenia and Austria. The Austrian authorities are involved because one of the main suspects lives in the country.
      “Today (Thursday) we have interrogated the former Prime Minister of Slovenia as a suspect in this Patria case”, confirmed Kaj-Erik Björkvist to the Finnish News Agency STT in the evening.
     
Suspicions that Jansa was involved in bribery were first reported last autumn by MOT, an investigative programme aired by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE). The story raised a massive furore in Slovenia, which was preparing for elections at the time.
      YLE stood by the story, and Jansa was voted out of office. Last summer a Slovenian prosecutor reportedly investigated whether or not the MOT programme was libellous.
     
In addition to the Slovenian branch, the NBI is investigating the legality of Patria's dealings in two other cases. The investigation into artillery deals involving Egypt has been completed, and prosecutors are looking into the possibility of bringing charges. The suspected leakage of corporate secrets linked with that case is also nearly complete.
      Earlier this autumn Björkvist said that he expects to get the case to the phase in which charges can be considered this year. A fourth branch of the investigation, involving suspicions of bribery in connection with the sale of armoured vehicles to Croatia, is just beginning.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Patria CEO resigns amid ongoing NBI probes into bribery allegations (19.8.2008)
  Slovenian government intends to sue YLE management over Patria bribery claims (4.9.2008)

See also:
  Patria suspends manufacture of vehicles ordered by Slovenia (3.9.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat