Finland Times

Constitutional Law Committee on May 31, 2013 talked to philosopher Pekka Himanen in the parliament. Photo Lehtikuva

The parliamentary constitutional committee, investigating a public purchase worth about EUR 700000, is expected to submit its report Wednesday.

The committee has inquired whether the purchase of the research project by Pekka Himanen Sofos Oy involved any gross negligence, breach of ministerial exercise or unlawful act of the Prime Minister.

The committee already examined the written statement of prime minister Jyrki Katainen  as the premier did not appear before it.

‘ None of the committee members wanted presence of the prime minister physically,’ the committee chairman, Johannes Koskinen told last week, adding that  there was no further query about anything stated by the prime minister in written so there was no necessity for his appearance before the committee.

Professor Manuel Castells (left), Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and Professor Pekka Himanen (right) for sustainable growth and prosperity in the Forum at a press conference in Helsinki on November 1, 2012. Photo - Lehtikuva

The chairman also said that the committee was pleased with the statement.

 Earlier, the committee on March 28 received a written opinion from the Prime Minister regarding the research report bought by the government.

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 talking to the journalists defended his recommendation to the purchase.

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