Police investigate National Conciliator for bribery

Finnair executive suspected of offering bribe

Juhani Salonius

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The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has launched a preliminary investigation into suspicions of bribery involving National Conciliator Juhani Salonius in connection with a recent holiday flight to Thailand.
      Facing possible charges are both Salonius himself and an executive of the Finnish airline Finnair.
      According to Det. Insp. Arto Tuomela of the NBI, the preliminary investigation is in its early stages, and the names of the suspects could change quickly.
      He believes that the investigation will be finished within a month.
     
The request for an investigation came from the Finnish Airline Pilots’ Association (SLL), which suspects that a Finnair representative tried to influence the outcome of mediation in a labour dispute by upgrading Salonius to business class.
      “The people involved in the events operate in such positions that the threshold to suspecting a crime has been exceeded”, Tuomela said, explaining why the investigation was launched.
     
The decision to move Salonius to business class was made by Veikko Sievänen, director of the flight activities for Finnair. He is also a representative of the employer’s side in the dispute with the pilots.
      The price difference between business class and tourist class is often significant. For instance, a one-way business class ticket from Helsinki to Bangkok at the beginning of next week cost nearly EUR 800 more than a seat in tourist class.
      According to Finnair, Salonius had bought a ticket for a package tour from a travel agency, and asked to be assigned a seat row at an emergency exit. Salonius has a hip injury, and would have liked more sitting space for that reason.
      However, security regulations would not allow for him to sit at an exit row, and he was moved up to business class instead.
     
Salonius took himself off the mediation effort between the flight crew and Finnair management when the complaint was lodged against him.
      He has been replaced in the mediation effort by his deputy Esa Lonka.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Mediator in Finnair pilots´ labour dispute switched over doubts on impartiality (25.2.2009)
  Finnair pilots´ strike averted last night (23.2.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat