Prosecutor considers fraud and dereliction of duty against ex-ambassador Vilén

The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Helsinki police in June to investigate declarations submitted by Jari Vilén, the former Finnish ambassador to Canada.

Police in Helsinki have completed a preliminary investigation into suspicions of fraud and dereliction of duty against the former Finnish ambassador to Canada, Jari Vilénand turned the file over to prosecutors for indictment consideration.

The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a request to the Helsinki police in June to investigate expense reports submitted by Vilén. The ministry suspected that Vilén’s reasons for claiming certain costs did not always meet the requirements, including his claim for relocation allowance for his family.

The ministry believes Vilén applied for the full family relocation allowance from September 2023 to May 2024, even though his family members did not live with him full-time in the Canadian capital Ottawa.

Finnish media reported that the ministry wants to reclaim almost 37,000 euros from Vilén.

In a post on Facebook over the summer, Vilén said he had offered the ministry a way to repay the money and that he planned to pay back the full amount.

Written warning for sexual harassment

Vilén received a written warning from the State Department in May for inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment.

In a press release issued at the time, the ministry said Vilén “had not behaved in a manner consistent with his status and duties as a public servant”, adding that his conduct met the definitions of inappropriate conduct, intimidation and sexual harassment.

However, the statement notes that Vilén will remain at the ministry because the threshold to dismiss him has not yet been reached.

Vilén served as ambassador to Ottawa until the end of June, when he was removed from his position by the president Alexander Stubb at the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen (NCP). He was then posted back to Helsinki and given other duties.