Finland Times

 

FTimes File Photo.

The power distribution company Rovaniemen Energia was cheated out of hundreds of thousands of euros in overbilled construction invoices in 2013, the police suspect.

 

The police on Tuesday said the CEO of the company which constructed the ash granulation plant and sold it to Rovaniemen Energia is suspected of aggravated fraud.

 

According to the police, the CEO is suspected of billing the energy company with fictitious invoices in excess of 129,000 euros. He is also suspected of overcharging the power company more than half a million euros in fraudulent construction costs.

 

Rovaniemen Energia has submitted to the police a request for investigation into the matter.

 

The senior investigating officer of the case, Detective Chief Inspector Pekka Mäkelä said the construction company CEO is the only suspect in the case, who however has denied committing any crimes.

 

The police have collected extensive pre-trial materials for consideration of charges.

 

The ash granulation plant and loading bunker were built in 2013. The events in question happened before the unification of the energy and water businesses in Rovaniemi.

 

Rovaniemen Energia is currently known as Napapiirin Energia ja Vesi. The power company’s Managing Director Markus Tykkyläinen said on Tuesday that the investigation request was made, because otherwise the matter would never have been cleared up.

 

“We had no choice but to start this process. Let’s see how it proceeds in the consideration of charges,” Tykkyläinen said.

 

Tykkyläinen noted that the process has already been quite lengthy, as the investment was planned for the year 2013. He reported that the total investment was approximately 5.5 million euros.

The company is owned by the City of Rovaniemi, and there is a risk that the over-billing ultimately became a burden for the taxpayers.

 

“The process is quite complicated, but this is the rule of law. Once the process is completed, we can consider the consequences after the results.” According to Tykyyläinen, the doubts that led to the investigation request were raised by the company’s routine finance and invoice-tracking system.

 

Tykkyläinen said the facilities have functioned well over the past few years. The granulation plant is connected to the power plant process.