Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has dismissed Titta Maja-Luoto from her post as Finland’s ambassador to Portugal. The decision follows internal complaints and an ongoing civil service investigation into her conduct.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced the removal on Wednesday. According to the ministry, the move aims to safeguard the functioning of the Finnish diplomatic mission in Lisbon. A replacement search begins immediately.
Valtonen made the decision after consulting ministry leadership and human resources officials.
“The unfortunate matter is that this took a bit too long,” Valtonen told Helsingin Sanomat. She referred to a three-month internal deadline for resolving workplace safety complaints, which had already been exceeded.
In February, all eight members of the embassy staff and the ambassador’s residence filed a formal complaint against Maja-Luoto. The allegations included bullying, verbal abuse, racist conduct and psychological harassment.
Maja-Luoto admitted in an interview with STT that she had acted inappropriately on two occasions. She made a similar statement to Helsingin Sanomat, saying she recognised her behaviour had been unacceptable during two incidents involving embassy staff.
The administrative process regarding the February complaint is still ongoing. Possible outcomes include a written warning or dismissal. According to Valtonen, removing Maja-Luoto from her post was not a disciplinary sanction but an operational measure.
“This is not tolerated at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,” Valtonen said. “Any such behaviour leads to consequences, but every individual must also be guaranteed due process.”
State Secretary Jukka Salovaara, who oversees civil service procedures at the ministry, said the investigation is nearing completion. The results will be published once the process ends.
Valtonen declined to comment on whether Maja-Luoto could be reassigned to another position within the ministry.
The decision has attracted criticism from legal scholars. Olli Mäenpää, emeritus professor of administrative law at the University of Helsinki, described the removal as “artificial”.
“In substance, this circumvents the dismissal procedure,” Mäenpää said. “It appears the criteria for dismissal were not met, so this alternative method was chosen.”
He warned that such a move risks setting a precedent for bypassing proper disciplinary channels.
“If a troublesome civil servant’s position is terminated to remove them without due process, it resembles a misuse of discretion,” he said.
Mäenpää acknowledged that the president of Finland holds the formal authority to appoint or remove heads of missions but questioned the intent behind using that power in this case.
Valtonen made a similar decision last year in the case of Jari Vilén, Finland’s former ambassador to Canada. Vilén requested to be recalled after internal complaints, including allegations of inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment. He later received a written warning after an administrative review.
Unlike Vilén, Maja-Luoto did not request her own removal, the ministry said.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has faced repeated criticism in recent years for its handling of personnel issues. In response, it has brought in an external HR director and introduced 360-degree staff assessments.
Valtonen said these steps aim to improve leadership readiness and prevent future problems.
HT