Finland Times

Chancellor of Justice Jaakko Jonkka on Monday said there is no reason to believe that Finance Minister Alexander Stubb would have given incorrect information intentionally on stockholders’ registry during the question-answer session in parliament last November.

The chancellor also said that the case does not call for further action, as Stubb has confessed to giving incorrect data and stressed that the ministry did its due diligence in providing the information.

The chancellor also noted that during the fast-paced parliamentary debate erroneous statements are understandable. Already, several complaints against Stubb’s speech have been made.

The finance minister came under fire from lawmakers after providing wrong information on shareholders’ nominee registration.

He said that 90 per cent of experts and authorities supported the government’s plan to reform the system in which investors hold securities.

Later, on November 28, the minister admitted to having relayed wrong information on statements made by different authorities on nominee registration.

According to the Finnish language daily Helsingin Sanomat, less than 10 per cent of the 21 statements referred to by Stubb support nominee registration.

“In the heat of debates, mistakes are made. The mistake was mine; sorry for that,” Stubb said after the making of the wrong statement.

He was also heckled while delivering a lecture at the University of Tampere on November 30.

The oppositions Vihreä Liito (Green League) and Vasemmistoliito (Left Alliance) and the Vihreät party asked a follow-up question about Stubb’s activities in December concerning the level of drafting and implementations of good governance in the stockholders’ registry bill.

The government subsequently faced a no confidence motion in parliament but survived.