Finnish state prosecutor fined for breach of duty

HELSINKI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme Court of Finland on Wednesday sentenced the main state prosecutor Matti Nissinen to pay fines for "breach of his duties".

Nissinen had approved procurement of training services from a company controlled by his brother.

The sentence was "40 day-fines". In the Finnish fine system, the value of a day-fine is based on the convicted person's income. In this case, the fine amounted to 1,740 euros.

The Ministry of Justice had suspended Nissinen from his position during the legal process. The ministry announced on Wednesday Nissinen could return to his work.

It would consider during the upcoming weeks whether there would be further repercussions. The worst option could be a dismissal.

Interviewed by the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, professor Olli Maenpaa, a leading Finish expert on administrative law, said there are major grounds for terminating Nissinen's position as the chief state prosecutor.

Maenpaa noted that according to the sentence the breach of duties was not minute. Nissinen had done it with intent, Maenpaa told the newspaper.

The chief state prosecutor is a presidential appointee in Finland. However, a decision to dismiss him would be taken by the cabinet, not the president. Such a dismissal would, according to the law text, require a particularly heavy reason. Enditem