Finland Times

 

The name of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been removed from the National Bureau of Investigation suspect list after the authorities were informed about the mistake.

The NBI on Thursday also apologised for the error on the list.

NBI deputy chief Tero Kurenmaa formally regretted the mistake, saying Putin’s name should never have been in the register as there was no reason to suspect him.

Earlier, Finland President Sauli Niinistö said such a mistake raised questions about the way the police collected data.

Meanwhile, the deputy state prosecutor said the authorities were considering launching an investigation to ascertain how Putin’s name ended up on the NBI list.

Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen on Wednesday said the incident would be thoroughly investigated.

“I want to express my sincerest apologies to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for the incorrect entry in the Suspect Data System. I consider it essential that the matter be thoroughly investigated and, if necessary, a pre-trial investigation be conducted,” said Räsänen.

On hearing about the error, Räsänen took immediate actions to look into the matter. The National Police Board, which is the data controller, stated that the entry in the system was incorrect and the NBI deleted the entry immediately.

“The Ministry of Interior takes the matter very seriously, if a member of the police makes entries in the Suspect Data System without a legal basis. Provisions for entering data in the system are laid down by the law. Anyone having the right to make these entries should know the law,” said Räsänen.

President Vladimir Putin has made an “ironic” response to the news that Finland accidentally put him on a blacklist of people with connections to criminal activities.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that a Finnish apology for the mistake would not require a response from the Russian side.

“I do not think this requires some kind of response,” Peskov said on Kommersant FM radio. “As far as we know, the Finnish side discovered the mistake on its own and in time.”

He termed Putin’s reaction “ironic” but did not elaborate.

Russian foreign ministry did not make any reaction till Thursday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Erkki Tuomioja, however, believed that the mistake would not have any impact on the bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries.

The blunder shocked both the government and the media.

Television channel MTV3 revealed the information on Wednesday. In an immediate response to the news, Helsinki said the name might have hit the list by mistake.