No charges for MP Joona Räsänen over fine discrepancy

Finnish police will not pursue charges against Social Democratic Party MP Joona Räsänen for alleged fine manipulation related to his drink-driving conviction, a senior investigator confirmed to Yle.

Räsänen was fined €2,300 in April after being caught drink-driving in Espoo. The fine was calculated based on underreported income, prompting a prosecutor’s request for a criminal investigation.

Jenni Wilkko, lead investigator at Helsinki Police Department, said the preliminary inquiry found no grounds to suspect Räsänen of a crime. She stated that the legal criteria for fine fraud—intentional and deceptive provision of false information—were not met in this case.

“Minor inaccuracies do not fall under this provision. There was no essential falsehood or misleading element,” Wilkko said.

The decision was made in June, concluding the matter for Räsänen.