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Tue, 15 Apr, 2014 12:04:57 AM Former Helsinki Drug police chief faces media first time after arrest FTimes-STT Report, April 15  Detained former Helsinki drug police chief Jari Aarnio at Helsinki District Court on Monday. Photo- Lehtikuva. Jari Aarnio, the former Helsinki drug unit police chief, encountered the media on Monday for the first time since his pre-trial detention which began in November last year.
Aarnio walked calmly in the chambers of Helsinki District Court escorted by the authorities.
On his way to the court, Aarnio seemed to avoid eye contact with the media representatives prior to the commencing of the proceedings.
During its sitting, the court ruled to continue the former police official’s detention, much to the disappointment of Aarnio's defence.
From Aarnio's point of view, the investigation should have been completed in five months thus the detention should not be continued.
Aarnio's lawyer Riita Leppiniemi observed that extending the detention inhibits her clients’ ability to organise his defence.
It is not unusual for suspects of serious drug crimes to be deprived of their liberty and attend proceedings detained pending investigations.
Despite Leppiniemi admitting the occurrence of such situations, she stressed that Aarnio’s situation was still uncommon.
Aarnio is alleged to have committed 15 crimes which took place between 2008 and 2013.
Last week, the Helsinki District Court ordered the confiscation of Aarnio's assets worth 1.9 million euros.
Aarnio denies all the charges brought against him.
Aarnio was arrested on November 12 on charges of various crimes including taking bribes from a private company.
He is also suspected for receiving kickbacks from Trevoc Company and being involved in the procurement of supplies from the same company for his employer.
Earlier, the authority investigating the graft allegations also traced a huge amount of undeclared money spent by Aarnio. He was accused of spending more than EUR 200,000 from unknown sources.
The money spent for his housing project – under construction in Porvoo – was much higher than the amount showed by the police officer from his salary and bank loans.
Sources said the plot was bought against Aarnio's son, although he did not have taxable income and his wife had zero income. The plot was used to build a house, garage and sauna.
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Finland Times
| Saturday, 27 April, 2024 |
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