KMS support to Vanhanen campaign: Centre Party’s Kontiola made bank transaction

Party’s development chief also handled support for Väyrynen and Lehtomäki

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The Centre Party’s head of development Lasse Kontiola transferred EUR 10,000 in election campaign support from the bank accounts of KMS, an organisation set up to KMS to the election campaign of the Centre’s chairman, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. KMS was set up to support a number of candidates in last year’s Parliamentary elections.
      The news, reported in the late edition tabloid Ilta Sanomat on Saturday, casts further doubt on the contention put forward by Kontiola and Party Secretary Jarmo Korhonen, that the Centre Party central office had nothing to do with decisions on which candidates KMS would support with donations.
     
Kontiola admitted last week that he had access to the bank account of the controversial association after Helsingin Sanomat began asking people with close ties with the party’s headquarters, what the Centre Party’s head of development needed the access for.
      Kontiola, who had previously denied any direct links with KMS, admitted in a statement issued later that he had made ten financial transactions soon after opening the account for KMS.
      Helsingin Sanomat has learned that the ten first transactions that were made from the account in January 2007 included payments to Vanhanen’s campaign organisation, as well as those of the present Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, Paavo Väyrynen, and Minister of the Environment Paula Lehtomäki.
      Donations were made in the same connection to the campaigns of candidates of other parties, such as Matti Ahde (SDP), and Maija Tiura (Nat. Coalition Party.
     
Kontiola authorised payments from the KMS account to Parliamentary campaigns totalling EUR 120,000, which is more than a quarter of the overall support paid out by the association.
      Kontiola apologised on Thursday that he had been involved with the finances of KMS without the knowledge of the Centre Party leadership.
     
Prime Minister Vanhanen is expected back from a trip to South Korea and Japan on Wednesday. Party Secretary Korhonen has said that he cannot be reached all week.
      On Sunday, Vanhanen said in a television interview in Kyoto that he did not know that the KMS contribution to his campaign had been authorised by Lasse Kontiola.
      On Friday Helsingin Sanomat reported that Nova Group, which would appear to be the largest single donor, had donated EUR 145,000 to the controversial organisation.
      Prime Minister Vanhanen’s election campaign got EUR 10,000 from the association.
      “When I was told of this possibility, I met Tapani Yli-Saunamäki and asked him about the origin of the money to ascertain that it did not come from abroad. I heard that it was from a large number of Finnish entrepreneurs”, Vanhanen said three weeks ago at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
      Helsingin Sanomat now knows that there were just five Finnish entrepreneurs behind the group.
      On Sunday Vanhanen expressed surprise to learn that the bulk of the financing for KMS came from just five businessmen.
      “If the number was so small, I don’t understand why they needed an association as an intermediary”, Vanhanen said.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  KMS deputy chairman: organisation established at Centre Party headquarters (2.6.2008)
  Nova Group backed KMS with at least EUR 145,000 (6.6.2008)
  Further evidence of close ties between Centre Party and election campaign finance organisation (4.6.2008)
  Campaign funding: Vanhanen lashes out at opposition, denies lying (3.6.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat