Suspected embezzlement at Finnish Embassy in Romania
Embassy official believed to have pocketed visa fees
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A suspected case of embezzlement of funds from fees for Finnish visas has been uncovered at the Finnish Embassy in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
The Tampere police have launched an investigation into suspected aggravated embezzlement and misuse of an official position.
The suspect in the case is a citizen of Finland who worked at the Bucharest embassy, but does not hold official diplomatic status. The person, who has not been officially identified, has worked at the Foreign Ministry for a number of years.
The suspected embezzlement was revealed in connection with a routine inspection by the State Auditor’s Office concerning the Embassy’s finances for last year.
The Finnish News Agency STT reports that about 20,000 euros had gone missing.
When the suspect was transferred away from Bucharest in 2003, all of the problems with the bookkeeping stopped.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs reported the suspected embezzlement to police. The suspect was transferred back to Helsinki and suspended from the Foreign Ministry, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Helsingin Sanomat
