Further evidence of close ties between Centre Party and election campaign finance organisation

Opposition demands report from Prime Minister on campaign financing furore

print this

All four opposition parties in the Finnish Parliament agreed on Tuesday to demand that Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) give a report to Parliament on the ongoing controversy surrounding election campaign financing.
      Meanwhile, ties between the Centre Party and the KMS association, which provided funding for candidates of its own choosing in last year’s elections, appear to be closer than previously acknowledged. Aki Haaro, administrative director of the Centre Party, was named the association’s substitute auditor at the founding meeting of KMS.
     Relations between the Centre Party and KMS became the focus of attention after it was revealed that the founding meeting of the association was held at Centre Party headquarters in December 2006.
     Papers for the establishment of the association were drawn up by the Centre Party’s current development chief, election planner Lasse Kontiola. The go-ahead for drawing up the documents was given by Party Secretary Jarmo Korhonen, who has admitted that he acted at the request of Tapani Yli-Saunamäki, a known expert on election financing.
     
Korhonen has sharply denied that he was in any way involved in the establishment of the association. This assertion has been questioned because the founding meeting of the association was held in Korhonen’s office. Furthermore, his closest subordinate drew up the founding papers, and the idea, and the request for assistance in setting up the association came to Korhonen from his close acquaintance, Tapani Yli-Saunamäki.
     According to the minutes of the first annual meeting of KMS, the association chose Mikko Väisänen as its auditor, and Aki Haaro as its deputy auditor. Haaro is currently the administrative director of the Centre Party. Inside the party Haaro is seen as a financial expert recruited to the party headquarters by Jarmo Korhonen after Korhonen was named Party Secretary.
     On Tuesday, Haaro told Helsingin Sanomat that he could not remember if he had been involved in any administrative duties in KMS.
     
The first annual general meeting of KMS was held at Centre Party headquarters on December 21st, 2006 immediately after the founding meeting of the association.
     The founding meeting took place in Korhonen’s office at 10:30-11:00, as confirmed by the association’s chairman Pekka Lind, as well as Lasse Kontiola and KMS vice chairman Jojrma Kosunen. Korhonen has not denied that the Center Party assisted in setting up the association.
     The beginning of the meeting was delayed because the train bringing in Lind, the chairman, was late. Party Secretary Korhonen was at party headquarters at a meeting of the executive committee of the party’s leadership. When Lind arrived, Korhonen came to greet the founders of the new association. The meeting concluded at 11:00.
     
The founding meeting immediately called the first annual general meeting of the association.
     At the annual meeting, held from 11:00-11:30 on the same day, the administration of the association was set up. Lawyer Pekka Lind was named the chairman, and Ret. Colonel Jorma Kosunen was named deputy chairman. Businessman Timo Töykkä was named to the board. Haaro was named deputy auditor and Mikko Väisänen was named auditor.
     The annual meeting then decided to call the first meeting of the executive of the association. That meeting was held from 11:30-12:00. One of the decisions of that meeting was to open a bank account for the association.
     According to the minutes, the holding of three meetings took an hour and a half. In addition, those attending the meeting had waited for Lind for about an hour.
     
Party Secretary Korhonen assured Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday that he was unaware what the group of men were doing in his office.
     Korhonen is under increasing pressure from within his party. Of 21 leaders of the Centre Party’s regional association questioned by the commercial television network Nelonen, eight said that they would like to replace Jarmo Korhonen, while another eight did not. Five of the local leaders did not take a stand on the issue.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Campaign funding: Vanhanen lashes out at opposition, denies lying (3.6.2008)
  KMS deputy chairman: organisation established at Centre Party headquarters (2.6.2008)
  CEO of Nova Group claims Centre supports real estate company in zoning issue (30.5.2008)
  Prime Minister warns of political crisis stemming from election campaign money affair (21.5.2008)
  Centre Party MP´s comments spark campaign finance row (15.5.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat