Finland Times

 

The former head of the anti-drug squad at the Helsinki police department is facing trial on charges of aggravated fraud, aggravated bribe-taking and aggravated dereliction of duty, Finnish Office of the Prosecutor General said Wednesday.

The former chief of Helsinki police's drug unit, Jari Aarnio, is facing trial on corruption charges related to his alleged involvement in Trevoc, a company which sold monitoring devices to law enforcement agencies in Finland.

Aarnio is suspected of taking bribes from Trevoc, as he is said to have received a stake in the company and used the position for his own financial benefit.

He is also suspected of the abuse of an official position, as he allegedly acted obstructively in Helsinki police's procurement of equipment and attempted to influence the police department's decisions to acquire products from Trevoc.

 The pre-trial investigation showed that a leader of the United Brotherhood motorcycle gang, an organized criminal group, played a key role in Trevoc. 

The prosecutor suspected the gang's role in Trevoc was concealed from the authorities, which Trevoc sold products to. Trevoc's customers include the police, border guards and the customs agency.

Aarnio will be on trial with eight other defendants, including one who is suspected of playing a leading role in the United Brotherhood, according the Prosecutor General's office.

All the defendants have denied the charges.

According to Finnish national broadcaster YLE, the prosecutor demanded a four-and-a-half-year imprisonment for Aarnio, as well as two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half-year imprisonments and fines for the eight others accused. 

Aarnio has been under investigation for accepting bribes since November 2013. The investigation then broadened to cover possible drug shipments and suspected involvement in organized crime in December 2013.