Five Ähtäri politicians step down from municipal roles amid abuse of office charges
Five municipal politicians in Ähtäri, western Finland, have voluntarily withdrawn from their positions of trust amid ongoing abuse of office charges, public broadcaster Yle reports.
The officials—Hannu Riihimäki (Centre Party), Kari Kivinummi (Social Democrats), Helena Hautakangas (Social Democrats), Hannu Hautoniemi (Centre Party), and Reija Kaskimäki (National Coalition Party)—announced they would temporarily step aside from their duties. All five currently face charges related to alleged misuse of their official positions in connection with past municipal decisions on funding the city’s zoo operations.
In a joint statement, the group said their decision was unanimous and aimed at easing the workload for Ähtäri’s staff and senior officials. “Their workload has been unreasonable lately. Resources should now be focused on resolving the city’s critical issues,” said Kari Kivinummi, a city council member and former city board representative.
The move follows months of political tension in Ähtäri, which is currently classified as a municipality in financial crisis and at risk of losing its independence. Kivinummi noted that public debate had increasingly turned to “opposition, fault-finding, complaints, and demands for investigations,” diverting energy from efforts to stabilize the city’s future.
Niina Ylinen (Social Democrats), first vice chair of the city board, called the resignations a display of “integrity and understanding of what’s best for Ähtäri,” adding that “even in the sandbox, the wise know when to stop.”
Three of the accused had already left municipal politics before Monday’s announcement. Prosecutors filed charges against a total of eight current and former officials, including one civil servant, in late March. All defendants have denied wrongdoing.
Among those stepping down, Helena Hautakangas serves as second vice chair of the city council and sits on the city board, while Kari Kivinummi is a board member. Hannu Hautoniemi chairs the education committee, and Reija Kaskimäki leads the audit committee.