Finland Times

 

The Constitutional Committee of the Parliament on Thursday has received a written opinion from the Prime Minister, Jyrkki Katainen regarding the research report bought by the government from researcher Professor Pekka Himanen at a cost of EUR 700000.

The committee counselor, Timo Tuovinen said that the committee would deal the case on Wednesday and the Chancellor of Justice, Jaakko Jonkka would investigate the issue.

The constitutional committee would inquire that whether  was there any gross negligence, breach of ministerial exercise or unlawful act of the Prime Minister to finance Pekka Himanen Sofos Oy to buy the research project.

The Prime Minister Office has recommended that the research project worth EUR 700 000 carried out individually on the future of finance by Professor Pekka Himanen should be bought and no competition was taken place in the tender process.

 Earlier, the Premier on February 25 taking to the journalists defended his recommendation to the purchase of the research report from researcher Pekka Himanen.

He said that all of the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation Tekes and the Academy of Finland expressed interest to the research project and decided to support it. 

He believed that the research director would have been refused to report on the financing, even if the Prime Minister were active in this regard. 

He, however, said that he was used to hear negative criticism from the people, if they felt that something is not useful.

The research project  included many things like the information society studied Manuel Cartsels, said Katainen, adding that he wanted to look forward to the report as there will be new ideas and there are many thing to learn for Finland.