The police investigation into suspicions of illegal use of communications records at Finland’s Security Police (SUPO) has been completed. The material from the investigation has been sent to State Prosecutor Jukka Rappe for consideration of possible formal criminal charges.
Rappe hopes to reach a decision soon whether or not to prosecute the head of SUPO, Seppo Nevala, and Petri Knape, head of the operative section of SUPO. Both men have been suspended from their posts pending a decision. Rappe says that the decision should come by the end of November.
Three SUPO officials and two employees of the telecommunications service provider Sonera have been interviewed as suspects.
A SUPO regional chief is suspected of having received telephone records from Sonera without court authorisation, and his superiors, Nevala and Knape, are under suspicion of covering it up.
All suspects have denied involvement in any crime. Ari-Pekka Koivisto, head of the investigation into the SUPO branch of the case, says that there have been disagreements on what constitutes evidence, and on how the material should be evaluated from a legal standpoint.
He nevertheless feels that there is enough evidence to justify consideration of criminal charges.
