Administrative court overturns dismissal of convicted court secretary
Thursday 13th August 2026 on 06:30 in
Finland
The Helsinki Administrative Court has overturned the dismissal of a 32-year-old court secretary at Helsinki District Court, ruling that the conduct cited did not constitute the particularly compelling grounds required by law, Yle reports.
The woman was dismissed in December 2024 after being convicted of criminal offences. Helsinki District Court said her actions showed that she did not respect the law, was unsuitable for the post and had lost her employer’s trust.
The court secretary was convicted by Itä-Uusimaa District Court in April 2023 of violating communications peace and defamation. After her relationship ended, she made dozens of calls to her former boyfriend and sent him 300 messages that the court considered disturbing and inappropriate. She also made disparaging and insulting claims about him.
She was later convicted by Helsinki District Court of arranging sexual services for payment. According to that judgment, a man known to the court secretary offered her and a friend money and VIP festival tickets in exchange for sex with the friend. The man paid 500 euros after having sex with the friend, and the court found that the secretary had sought financial benefit by relaying messages between them.
The Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in that case, finding that the woman had not sought to exploit her friend.
The Helsinki Administrative Court said the woman’s actions showed poor judgement and were reprehensible. However, it ruled that they did not provide the particularly compelling grounds required for dismissal, even though they could undermine confidence in the work of the district court.
The district court learned about the first conviction only when the woman was suspected of arranging sexual services. She was dismissed soon after the district court issued its conviction in that case.
The woman does not yet know whether she will return to her post, according to Svenska Yle, which first reported the case. She said she felt she had been subjected to bullying.