Four MPs tenants in buildings owned by pension company mired in election finance furore

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The Local Government Pensions Institution (KEVA), which is one of the players in the controversy over election campaign financing, rents apartments to four Members of Parliament.
      Minister of Transport and Communications Anu Vehviläinen (Centre), Minister of the Interior Anne Holmlund (Nat. Coalition Party), and Centre Party members of Parliament Hannes Manninen and Mirja Vehkaperä all have rental apartments owned by KEVA, which they use while they are in Helsinki.
      The rental terms are the same as for any tenants, except for Manninen, who pays EUR 412.39 a month for his 42-square metre two-room flat in Tikkurila in Vantaa. One possible reason for his relatively low rent could be that the lease dates back 14 years.
     
The information compiled by Helsingin Sanomat tends to reinforce the image of close ties linking politicians, KEVA, and donors to political campaigns.
      Decision-making power in KEVA is divided proportionally among political parties. Both Simo Lämsä, the former CEO of the institution, and the current CEO Markku Kauppinen are members of the Centre Party.
      Last week it came out that Kauppinen atteded a meeting in January 2007, in which Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) and businessmen representing the Kehittyvien Maakuntien Suomi (KMS) organisation agreed on terms for financial support from KMS for candidates of the Centre Party.
     
The late-edition tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports that Kauppinen had recommended to KMS that it support the campaign of Anu Vehviläinen. According to Ilta-Sanomat, Kauppinen was asked to list other candidates he considered worthy of KMS support.
      Both Vehviläinen and Manninen accepted contributions from KMS for their campaigns.
      Kauppinen’s account of his own role has changed somewhat. Shortly before midsummer he denied taking part in organising campaign financing in a statement issued on the KEVA website.
     
The chairman of the KEVA board, National Coalition Party MP Sampsa Kataja admits that he was one of the candidates to whom Kauppinen had proposed to provide election funding.
      In spite of the funding, Kataja feels that he is in a neutral position, even though he should be his supervisor.

More on this subject:
 KEVA asks for investigation of its own board
 NEWS ANALYSIS: What the campaign finance mess is all about
 COMMENTARY: Small country, small explanations

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Municipal pension boss obscured business contacts with Nova Group (22.6.2009)
  Millions in municipal pension funds invested in Nova Group project (19.6.2009)
  BREAKING NEWS: Bankruptcy Ombudsman orders special audit of Nova Group (19.6.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat