Finnish customs chief cleared of misconduct charges over misuse of official vehicle

Charges against Jari Timonen, the head of the Niirala customs office on the Finland-Russia border, for breach of duty have been dismissed. Timonen was accused of using an official customs vehicle for personal purposes during his official trip in the capital region in the autumn of 2021.

The prosecutor claimed that he used the official car for activities such as shopping in Itäkeskus, dining in downtown Helsinki, and visiting relatives in Tuusula. According to the prosecutor, the non-work-related driving amounted to at least 200 kilometers in total.

The North Karelia District Court, however, ruled that it remained unclear whether the unexplained trips recorded in the driving log were specifically made by Timonen. The court stated that the entries in the driving log cannot be considered entirely reliable, as they are based solely on user entries.

The court also accepted that there was a valid reason for the shopping trip, as Timonen needed to buy new shoes to replace his wet ones. The prosecutor had demanded a punishment of 20 day-fines for Timonen. The verdict is not legally binding.