Perussuomalaiset MP expelled from parliamentary group over night club shooting

Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) lawmaker Timo Vornanen, who was arrested on April 26 for his alleged involvement in a shooting incident at a night club in Helsinki and later released, has been expelled from the parliamentary group of the party on Thursday.

The parliamentary group at a meeting discussed the issue and unanimously decided to expel Vornanen, said Chair of the group Jani Mäkelä at a press conference on Thursday afternoon after the meeting.

He said that the decision was taken following the alleged involvement of the lawmaker in the shooting incident outside of a night club in Helsinki.

Chairperson of Perussuomalaiset Riikka Purra, also Finance Minister said that the party would decide later about the membership of Vornanen in Perussuomalaiset, the second largest component of the four-party alliance government.

Meanwhile, Vornanen in a statement on Thursday said that he would continue as a lawmaker by establishing his own parliamentary group.

“There is no legal ground for my resignation or removal from parliament as the issue was not decided by the court,” he said.

He, however, apologised to the party and members of parliament for the incident.

The Perussuomalaiset MP elected from Joensuu, is suspected of three criminal charges for his involvement in the shooting incident.

He pointed gun at two people in front of Ihku night club at Antinkatu area and fired gunshot into the ground with his small-caliber firearm on April 26.

The MP was arrested on April 26 and released on April 27.

Vornanen discharged his duty as a senior police constable at the Eastern Finland Police Department for more than 20 years before being elected a lawmaker in 2023 and now on leave for the parliamentary term.