Opposition leader demands full transparency on Helsinki Garden funding

Opposition leader Antti Lindtman has dismissed Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s explanation of the government’s €35 million investment in the Helsinki Garden arena project as insufficient, public broadcaster Yle reports.

Lindtman, leader of the Social Democratic Party, told Yle in a text message that a precise and open account is needed of how the decision was prepared and what process led to its approval by the government.

The state funding for the arena has drawn criticism from opposition parties, including the Centre Party, the Greens, and the Movement Now, all of which have demanded clarification from the prime minister. Orpo responded briefly to the calls on Sunday.

Lindtman said he hopes Orpo will disclose his own role in the decision-making and reveal who prepared the case, on what grounds the support was proposed, and how the process unfolded. He also urged other governing parties to provide their own accounts.

“If everything has been done properly, there should be no problem with opening this up,” Lindtman said.

He added that Finland needs large-scale international sports and cultural projects to compete for major events, but stressed that public funding must follow the same rules for all projects.