Police seized a total of 3.5 million euros in cash during a series of raids conducted on the premises of Airiston Helmi in Parainen, South-west Finland, in September 2018. (Credit: Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)
The District Court of Varsinais-Suomi has turned down an appeal to overturn the seizure of cash seized during a series of raids in South-west Finland in September.
The National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) on Wednesday revealed that the people targeted in the raids had requested that the seizure be overturned and the confiscated items, including the cash, be returned to them.
The District Court of Varsinais-Suomi, however, rejected the request all but fully, ordering that only two rings be returned to the defendants.
Law enforcement officers seized almost three-and-a-half million euros in cash during the large-scale search operation on the premises of Airiston Helmi in Parainen, South-west Finland, on 22–23 September.
The Finnish provider of tourism and accommodation services is suspected of laundering millions of euros and using undeclared workers for construction projects. Two people affiliated with the service provider are tentatively suspected of aggravated money laundering and aggravated tax fraud, according to KRP.
The Finnish Defence Forces and Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) are assisting in the pre-trial investigation, which is expected to take at least several months, partly due to the volume of materials seized during the operation.
