Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) investigation into a suspected illegal use of the former Prime Minister's cell phone has resulted in three Finnish officials being charged by the police. The officials include the government's former security chief, Ari Uutinen, the security chief of the national telecom operator Sonera, Juha E. Miettinen and the police investigator who had asked for the illegal usage to be carried out.
The security boss at Sonera was reportedly seeking information about his employees and the investigation was commenced as Sonera looked for an employee who was leaking information to the press.
The case follows on from alleged monitoring of calls made by the Prime Ministers cellphones during a seven-month period in 1997 and 1998. The calls themselves were not tapped, only the billing records were accessed. Following a phone call made to a person under suspicion of financial fraud by the Prime Minister's chauffeur who was seeking cheap tires.
The three officials who have been charged then chose to illegally monitor the Prime Ministers phone usage, without a court order.
The Prime Minister resigned earlier this year after eight years in power following a narrow election defeat in March."
Posted to the site on 28th November 2003
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/10208.php