Finland Times

Keskusta (Centre Party) lawmaker and Environment Minister Paula Lehtomäki will replace Antti Kaikkonen as the deputy chair of Parliamentary Grand Committee following the latter’s resignation.

The decision was taken on Thursday after Kaikkonen on Wednesday announced that he would resign as the deputy chair of the Grand Committee in the wake of controversy sparked by his conviction in a case.

Kaikkonen took the decision in response to the opposition Perussuomalainen (True Finns) party’s demand for his resignation, although most of the political parties having representation in the parliament expressed their support for Kaikkonen continuing in the office despite his conviction.

Although Kaikkonen on Wednesday did not say whether he would continue to perform as a member of the committee, he decided Thursday to remove himself completely from the Grand Committee.

Earlier, a court sentenced him to conditional imprisonment in the Youth Foundation’s election funding case.
 
A Perussuomalainen leader, Jussi Halla-Aho, also had to resign as chairman of the Management Committee of the parliament after a court had penalised him in a case.