Finland's Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed nearly all applications for leave to appeal prison sentences read last year to nine former executives of Jippii, a telecommunications company, for bookkeeping, disclosure and insider trading offences.

Ilpo Kuokkanen, a former chairman of Jippii, and Harri Johannesdahl, ex-managing director, are among those to go to prison.

The Helsinki appeals court had handed a two-year sentence to Mr Kuokkanen and a 22-month one to Mr Johannesdahl.

The Supreme Court granted leave to appeal to one former Jippii executive.

STT