2 Finns remanded for swindling money to supply guard gear to Ukraine

Two Finnish nationals were detrained on charge of misappropriating millions of euros from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine for supplying protection gear to the war zone.

The two suspects were detained at the District Court of Kanta-Häme on Thursday on suspected aggravated money laundering, said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in a press release on Friday.

A third person is also suspected but the police did not submit appeal to the court requesting remand for the person.

The NBI conducted investigation into an alleged aggravated money laundering as a Finnish company has received money from Ukraine for supplying protection gear.

According to the criminal investigation, a total of 5.7 million euros was sent to a Finnish entrepreneur from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

The NBI and the Ukrainian authorities have cooperated closely in the investigation. The NBI has inquired the acts of the Finnish companies and individuals living in Finland. The Ukrainian authorities have opened their own investigation.

The NBI believes that the receiver of the money has in its own operations committed an aggravated money laundering or aggravated embezzlement. Three Finnish citizens are also suspected.

The money was sent to Finland in April 2022. Under the signed contract the Finnish entrepreneur was to supply protection vests to the Government of Ukraine for the amount of money he received.

The entrepreneur supplied however only half of the requested vests to Ukraine and did not spend the whole amount of money on them.

“The criminal investigation is still at the initial stage and the criminal acts will be more precisely classified as the investigations progress. The criminal investigation has established that the Finnish entrepreneur diverted part of the funds to pay his own debts and purchases, namely cars and a real estate,” Head of Investigation, Detective Superintendent Kaj Björkqvist of NBI said.