Woman sentenced to probationary imprisonment for embezzlement and forgery in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland

The Southern Ostrobothnia District Court has sentenced a woman who held a managerial position at Oma Säästöpankki to one year and six months of probationary imprisonment and 90 days of community service for aggravated embezzlement and forgery. The court determined that the probationary sentence was not severe enough given the nature of the offenses, hence the addition of community service.

According to the prosecutor, the woman embezzled approximately €150,000 from two clients’ accounts in 2023. The convicted individual admitted during the trial to the accuracy of the charges presented by the prosecutor. To conceal her actions, she reportedly ceased sending account statements to the bank’s customers and created false cash receipts for fund transfers. Furthermore, she forged signatures of the bank’s clients.

The woman also stole money from her father, for whom she acted as a financial advisor, taking funds from both his and his deceased spouse’s joint account. The prosecutor estimated the total benefit gained from her embezzlements at roughly €123,000, although she later refunded about €41,000 to her father. Due to these actions, her father’s bills went into debt collection. She acknowledged having embezzled around €40,000 from her father and his late spouse, and was ordered to compensate her father €30,000.

Oma Säästöpankki has reimbursed the clients for their losses. In court, the woman cited a diagnosed gambling addiction and expressed remorse for her actions, stating she sought treatment at an addiction clinic once her misconduct came to light. The ruling is not yet final.

Earlier in April, it was reported that charges had been filed against a former employee of Oma Säästöpankki for aggravated embezzlement and forgery, with the bank’s CEO noting an estimated loss of €150,000 due to the suspected criminal activities. The alleged offenses occurred between February 2019 and October 2023.