Senior Finnish municipal official remanded over suspected sex crimes

A senior official in a municipality in eastern Finland has been remanded in custody on probable cause over suspicions of multiple sexual offences, Yle reports.

The municipality plans to suspend the official from their post. It said the official was interviewed through a lawyer and had no objection to the suspension. The municipality said the remand came as a surprise and that the suspected offences were unrelated to the official’s duties.

The suspected offences include unlawful observation and sexual abuse. Some are alleged to have taken place over five years, from late October 2021 to early October this year.

Yle is withholding the suspect’s name and the municipality’s name to protect the victims. The investigation is ongoing, and the official’s lawyer declined to comment to Yle. Charges must be brought by January next year.