Ministry probes into harassment claims at embassy in Ottawa

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has started an investigation into the allegations of harassment at the Finnish Embassy in Ottawa filed by its employees against the Ambassador.

The Ministry has taken immediate action regarding the reports of harassment it has received from the Embassy, said an official press release late Friday night.

“As an employer, the ministry has an occupational safety and health obligation: it needs to hear all parties involved. Every employee's protection under the law is ensured. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will draw its conclusions at the end of the investigation. The investigation has been launched and it is proceeding. The hearings are being held at the moment,” said the ministry in the press release.

Although the ministry was prepared to employ an external investigation team, later it decided to launch an internal inquiry into the matter considering the high cost of using the services of an external investigator.

Allegations made about inappropriate conduct in the Finnish Foreign Service have recently been debated in public. All allegations of inappropriate conduct, harassment and sexual harassment are taken seriously and investigated, said Under-Secretary of State Pekka Puustinen.

The Ministry prohibits inappropriate conduct, harassment and sexual harassment. As an employer, the Ministry has the right and the obligation to investigate incidents that have come to its attention and to decide on action for looking into and resolving the problems, the press release added.

Earlier in this month, local newspapers reported that some employees of the Finnish embassy to Canada submitted allegations of disruptive and inappropriate behaviors by Ambassador Jari Vilén to the ministry.