Parliamentary Ombudsman Petri Jääskeläinen has stated that the director and assistant director of Mikkeli Prison committed an offence in exercising official authority. In March 2016, they had both submitted false information to the Deputy-Ombudsman in their further clarifications regarding the investigation of a complaint made by a prisoner. The offences committed by the director and the deputy director are false statement given to an authority and breach of official duty.

The conduct of the director and the assistant director was revealed when, after the decision regarding the complaint had been made, the personnel of Mikkeli Prison contacted the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman to say that the information provided by the director and the assistant director was not true. The Parliamentary Ombudsman ordered a pre-trial investigation, which was conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation. 

The Parliamentary Ombudsman finds the conduct of the director and the assistant director serious in terms of the preconditions for Ombudsman´s oversight of legality. However, the Parliamentary Ombudsman decided, that it is not necessary to bring charges as, in this case, the false information did not cause any harm to the officials subject to the complaint nor to the complainant.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman reprimanded the director of Mikkeli Prison and the assistant director for the offences imputed to them. They have a possibility to ask the Ombudsman to bring the case to court for the assessment of guilt.

The full text of Parliamentary Ombudsman Petri Jääskeläinen's decision no 2809/2017 has been published (in Finnish) on the Parliamentary Ombudsman's website at www.oikeusasiamies.fi. 

Further information is available from Principal Legal Adviser Anu Rita, tel +358 9 432 3362.