Pelkosenniemi board to report former chair to police

The executive board of Pelkosenniemi, a Finnish municipality, has decided to file a police report against its former chair, Laura Lakso, Yle reports.

The decision was made at the board’s meeting on Monday. It was not completely unanimous: current chair Timo Tossavainen said one counterproposal was submitted but fell through because it did not receive support.

The board said the threshold for filing a police report had been met. It said it had learned of events suggesting that Lakso may have acted unlawfully in her position and allegedly sought to influence decision-making and the preparation of matters in breach of her duties.

Lakso previously told Yle that she was the target of a political campaign and that there were no grounds for a police report.

The board authorised acting municipal manager Mikko Merikanto to file the report together with a law firm. Tossavainen declined to comment further. The minutes of the meeting have not yet been checked.

Lakso has also filed police reports

Lakso was removed from the municipal executive board and from the chair’s position in June because of a lack of trust. She has filed a municipal appeal against the decision with the Northern Finland Administrative Court.

Lakso says she has also filed police reports concerning acting municipal manager Mikko Merikanto, current chair Timo Tossavainen and senior municipal officials.

According to Lakso’s legal assistant, they plan to file new police reports against Tossavainen and Merikanto because they were disqualified from taking part in the decision on Lakso’s police report.

In the most recent municipal elections, Lakso was one of the country’s biggest vote-winners. She received more than a quarter of all votes in Pelkosenniemi, the highest share in Finland.