Former CFO convicted of embezzlement at Hätälä in Oulu

An Oulu-based fish processing company, Hätälä, has seen its former chief financial officer convicted of severe embezzlement. According to the Oulu District Court, the ex-CFO embezzled over €577,000 from the company between 2013 and 2023. The woman transferred funds from the company’s accounts to her personal accounts and also used the company’s credit card for personal purchases amounting to thousands of euros. She admitted to the crime during the police investigation.

In court, the prosecutor sought a prison sentence of at least two years and four months. However, the Oulu District Court deemed a sentence of one year and nine months of conditional imprisonment to be appropriate. Additionally, the woman was ordered to perform 90 hours of community service and to compensate Hätälä for the significant financial damages she caused, with the total restitution exceeding €600,000.

The verdict is not yet legally binding, as the decision can be appealed to the Court of Appeal. The ruling, issued today, was reported earlier by the newspaper Kaleva, which noted that the fraudulent transactions were discovered by Hätälä in the fall of 2023.