Jippii executives to appeal conviction to European Court of Human Rights

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The Supreme Administrative Court has upheld prison sentences imposed on two former managers of the telecommunications company Jippii in May by the Helsinki Court of Appeals.
      Harri Johannesdahl , former CEO of Jippii and Ilpo Kuokkanen, its former chairman of the board pointed out at a press conference after the ruling that getting a final decision on the matter took nearly nine years.
      “We did not receive a fair trial, as the investigation, which began in 2001, has been brought to a conclusion only today, Wednesday”, Johannesdahl said.
      He added that an appeal will be submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. The court has found against Finland in a number of cases involving excessively slow legal processes.
     
Kuokkanen was sentenced to two years imprisonment for stock market violations, and Johannesdahl got a year and ten months by the Helsinki Court of Appeals. In the autumn of 2007, Helsinki District Court had acquitted the defendants of all charges.
      It was reported on Wednesday that the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal in their case. Only one out of a total of nine former managers of the company who had been convicted were allowed to put forward an appeal in the case.
     
Kuokkanen also alleged that there was a conflict of interest at the court of appeals, saying that one of the judges on the panel and the head of the Helsinki prosecution service had a close personal relationship.
      However, he admitted that he did not know if the head of the prosecution service had actually taken part in decision-making on the Jippii case.
     
In addition to the convictions against its management, Jippii was ordered to pay a corporate fine of EUR 200,000 and to about EUR 85,000 in monetary advantage from the crimes.
      Jippii has since changed its name to Saunalahti, which is currently a part of Elisa.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Prison sentences from Appeal Court for former managers of Jippii (28.5.2009)
  Former managers of Jippii acquitted on insider trading charges (1.11.2007)
  Former management of Jippii charged with serious stock market violations (9.5.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat