Santamäki faces financial troubles following dismissal from Riihimäki prison

Antti Santamäki, the recently dismissed chairman of the Prison Officer Union, has faced multiple court rulings for financial debts in recent years, according to Ilta-Sanomat. The newspaper’s investigation reveals that Santamäki’s total debts amount to several tens of thousands of euros.

Last week, the Punishment Agency terminated Santamäki’s position as a prison guard at Riihimäki prison. He stated to Ilta-Sanomat that his debts are “one aspect” of the reasons behind his dismissal. He explained that he accumulated these debts during 2017-2018 due to personal difficulties, primarily stemming from consumer loans.

On the previous Monday, Santamäki mentioned that the dismissal was related to a private matter. He claimed that he received a verbal warning from the agency’s leadership in 2019, and he believed that the issue was then considered resolved.

According to the Punishment Agency, during an organizational restructuring, all personnel underwent security assessments, which revealed circumstances that led to Santamäki’s dismissal. These assessments also take into account financial difficulties.

The union has deemed the termination baseless and plans to appeal the decision in administrative court.