Race for Centre Party Secretary post heats up

Korhonen sharply denies KMS link, trades accusations with Kimmo Tiilikainen

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Centre Party secretary Jarmo Korhonen denies having been involved in activities with the KMS association, now famous for its political contributions to candidates of the Centre Party and others, or having discussed campaign funding for Parliamentary candidates with KMS's Tapani Yli-Saunamäki.
      At a press conference at Centre Party headquarters on Wednesday, Korhonen urged journalists to take up the matter with the association’s chairman Pekka Lind, or with Yli-Saunamäki, who was responsible for distribution of funds by KMS.
     
On Wednesday, Korhonen shifted his aim towards MP Kimmo Tiilikainen, who has challenged him for the party secretary post.
      Korhonen asked if KMS deputy chairman Jorma Kosunen might be related to Alpo Kosunen, who served as auditor in Tiilikainen’s failed business. Korhonen noted that Tiilikainen had been suspected of an economic crime.
      “I have nothing to be ashamed of, but others seem to”, Tiilikainen said, after hearing of Korhonen’s suggestions in Parliament. He denied having been involved with KMS.
     
Suspicions of a close linkage between KMS and the Centre Party arose when it was revealed that Korhonen had given an employee at Centre Party offices the task of drawing up founding documents for the association at the request of Yli-Saunamäki.
      The founding meeting of KMS was held in Korhonen’s office, and a Centre Party functionary was named as the association’s deputy auditor. Korhonen confirmed this on Wednesday.
      Korhonen repeated that KMS has independently decided on the distribution of funding for the association, and neither he nor the Centre Party have had anything to do with the actual activities of the association. Tapani Yli-Saunamäki is the link between KMS and the party.
     
For some reason Korhonen finds it difficult to give a direct answer to the question of whether or not he has ever held discussions with Yli-Saunamäki on the distribution of election campaign support.
      “Yli-Saunamäki is responsible for his own money and his own projects. I have not held any discussions with him on who gets money”, Korhonen answered after some prompting.
      According to Korhonen, dozens of associations have been established at the Centre Party offices at the direct request of Members of Parliament or their campaign organisations. Yli-Saunamäki was not involved in the election campaign of any individual candidate.
     
Kimmo Tiilikainen resacted quickly to Korhonen’s innuendo. He emphasised that Alpo Kosunen had been an auditor for 30 years, and that he is, indeed, Jorma Kosunen’s brother.
      “I have no monetary dealings with these people”, Tiilikainen said.
      Alpo Kosunen, municipal mayor of the southeastern community of Parikkala, expressed surprise at his being included in the furore over the election funding issue.
      He said that he has had no contact with KMS, and has not campaigned on behalf of Tiilikainen.
     
Last summer Tiilikainen was under suspicion for crimes involving bookkeeping, but he was never charged.
      Tiilikainen had served as Chairman of the Board of the Imatra-based meal service company Saimaan ruokapalvelu in the fiscal years 2001-2001. The company later went bankrupt. Tax authorities said that the bookkeeping of the company was not up to standard in 2003-2004.
      Last summer Korhonen said that the suspicions that Tiilikainen may have been involved in an economic crime had no bearing on his ability to hold the post of Minister of the Environment, when he substituted for Paula Lehtomäki during her recent maternity leave.
     
Tiilikainen and Korhonen clashed about two weeks ago at a Centre Party Parliamentary group meeting, when Tiilikainen asked Korhonen about his contacts with KMS.
      Tiilikainen recalled that Korhonen had responded by noting that Tiilikainen had asked him for money but did not get any.
      He said that before the elections he had asked Korhonen if the party might share the expenses of his campaign publications, and the two agreed on two joint advertisements.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  KMS deputy chairman: organisation established at Centre Party headquarters (2.6.2008)
  Campaign funding: Vanhanen lashes out at opposition, denies lying (3.6.2008)
  Further evidence of close ties between Centre Party and election campaign finance organisation (4.6.2008)
  Centre Party MṔs comments spark campaign finance row (15.5.2008)

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