Prosecutor General suspected of nepotism

Prosecutor General Matti Nissinen is suspected of nepotism for hiring a company owned by his brother to train his office staff, reported the national broadcaster Yle.

He took part in a decision to contract his brother’s firm, Deep Lead, to carry out training at the office of the prosecutor, which is contradictory to his role and breach of the official duties, said the report.

The National Bureau of Investigation has already completed a preliminary investigation into this matter and submitted the report to the Chancellor of Justice, instead of submitting it to the Office of the Prosecutor General. The report is normally submitted to the prosecutor general’s office.

The acting Chancellor of Justice Risto Hiekkataipale, who on July 1 took over the charge of the chancellor of justice temporarily after the retirement of Jaakko Jonkka, will take the final decision in this regard, said the Yle report.

The brother of the prosecutor general, Col. Vesa Nissinen, is the chairman and owner of the major portion of the company Deep Lead. He is also the director of the Finnish Defence Research Agency (FDRA).

The company has been paid 74,000 euros for the training services in eight years ended in 2015.

As the contract began three years before Nissinen took over as the prosecutor general in 2010, he denied breaking any laws but had admitted that he had done a mistake in the handling of the matter, said the Yle report, adding that Nissinen has been on leave since March at his own request.