Prime minister to address Helsinki Garden controversy on Yle programme

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will appear on Yle’s A-studio programme tonight to discuss the Helsinki Garden arena project, which has sparked weeks of political controversy.

The government approved a conditional €35 million state subsidy for the project over a year ago. Opposition parties have since called for Orpo’s resignation amid disputes over the project’s economic and employment impact claims.

Orpo denied allegations of lying about the project’s job creation figures in comments to STT on Tuesday. Tonight’s interview, conducted by Rosa Kettumäki, will also cover plans for resolving funding disputes involving social and healthcare NGOs.

The programme airs at 21:05 local time.