Ähtäri councillors face removal amid company name dispute

In Ähtäri, two members of the True Finns party are facing removal from their positions due to a crisis of trust stemming from a peculiar dispute over the registration of company names. A temporary committee was established in September to address the situation, and it has now made its recommendations.

Councillor Jarkko Salo is set to be removed from his role as vice-chair of the audit committee, while Juha Nortunen is expected to lose his position on the city council. Nortunen expressed his disappointment, stating, “The verdict has come.” This situation may result in the complete dissolution of the city council, which would need to be re-elected. Officially, the temporary committee is recommending the removal of both the city council and audit committee leadership.

During a meeting on Thursday, committee member and deputy councillor Harri Mutka dissented. The city council of Ähtäri will make the final decision on this matter on October 21, 2024. Councillors cannot be ousted from their elected roles without criminal grounds, and this case has not been investigated as a crime.

The roots of the crisis stem from a dispute last winter when Nortunen and Salo registered the names Ä-klubi and Ä-live, which were previously unregistered and used by a city-owned company, Ähtäri Events. The city holds about one-third ownership in Events. Following this, a heated discussion ensued, with accusations of abuse of trust levelled against the two council members.

Nortunen has filed an appeal to the Vaasa Administrative Court regarding the council’s decision made in early September to set up the temporary committee for preparing the removal of the councillors. The council’s next meeting is expected to be contentious, reflecting a growing intensity in local politics.