Vanhanen sees no problem with foundations making campaign donations

Patents and Registration Board denounces Nuorisosäätiö campaign contributions

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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) is critical of the way in which public debate on contributions to political parties has proceeded.
      “No form of financing has been given a blessing in public debate. Everything has been made out to be morally questionable in some way”, said Vanhanen at an impromptu press conference held at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on Monday.
      “A good question is, what will be left over after this finance debate. What are acceptable ways to collect revenue for open democratic activities?”
      It came out during the weekend that Nuorisosäätiö, a foundation doing youth and educational work, supported Vanhanen in the Presidential elections of 2006 to the tune of nearly EUR 24,000. Nuorisosäätiö has close ties with the Centre Party, along with Nuorisoasuntojen Isännöinti Oy, which handles the administration of apartments rented by Nuorisosäätiö.
      Nuorisosäätiö has received grants from the Finnish Slot Machine Association (RAY), whose rules ban the use of its grant money for political activities.
     
Director Olli Koikkalainen of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR) said on Monday that foundations providing funds to politicians have operated in violation of their own rules. According to Koikkalainen, there is no mention in the rules of the foundations allowing them to donate money for election campaigns or similar activities.
      NBPR is currently launching an investigation into the activities of Nuorisosäätiö.
      In addition to providing money for Vanhanen’s campaign, it also contributed to the campaigns of the chairman of the foundation’s board, Centre Party MP Antti Kaikkonen. NBPR is also interested in the activities of Maaseudun kukkaisrahasto, another foundation with links to the Centre Party.
     
Managing director Seppo Pyykkönen of Nuorisosäätiö is not admitting any wrongdoing on the part of the foundation in granting the election money. He emphasised that the foundation supported Vanhanen as its long-term former chairman.
      Pyykönen emphasises that the money for the campaign contributions came from “other income”, such as dividends and investments.
      “There is nothing in the charter of the foundation on supporting politicians, but I interpret the operational idea of the foundation in such a way that we can support election activities of politicians whom we know to support causes that are in line with the foundation’s ideas”, Pyykönen said.
     
Koikkalainen agrees that it is OK to interpret the rules, but that the by-laws do not allow direct political support at least. He says that support in the form of buying goods old by a party has to be assessed on the basis of how it relates to other activities. “For instance, buying a few books or works of art can be seen as normal”, says Koikkalainen of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland.
      Vanhanen welcomes the planned investigations by NBPR and RAY.
      “We will see then if a foundation operating in connection with a party is allowed to take part in societal activity.”
      Vanhanen does not believe that it will be necessary to return the contributions.
     
The Finnish Slot Machine Association (RAY) has decided to change its practices on providing grants to foundations.
      Under its new rules, foundations will be entitled to financial aid from RAY only for specific projects.
      RAY managing director Sinikka Mönkäre conformed the news in an interview with the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) on Monday. She denied that the decision had anything to do with the Nuorisosäätiö question. She noted that she had mentioned the plan a couple of weeks ago on television.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Vanhanen got campaign contributions for nonprofit housing foundation (21.9.2009)
  Centre Party to pay back all Nova donations (18.9.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat