IL: Supo blocks Purra’s choice for media advisor role due to China links
The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) highlighted a number of issues during the preferred candidate’s security check, including his partner’s former Chinese nationality.
Finance Minister Riikka Purra’s (Finns) plans to appoint journalist Jari Kuikanmäki as her media relations advisor have fallen through following a background check by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo).
The decision was first reported by tabloid Iltalehti.
In an interview with the newspaper, Kuikanmäki said that Supo highlighted a number of issues during his security clearance check, including his partner’s former Chinese nationality, a trip to China in 2016, the Chinese nationalities of his partner’s parents, and a trip to Finland in 2017.
“We met in London in 2011 and have been together ever since. We moved to Finland in 2013,” Kuikanmäki told the tabloid, adding that his partner is now a Finnish citizen, with no criminal record, and has lived in Finland for over 10 years.
IL noted that Kuikanmäki’s common-law spouse became a Finnish citizen in 2022, and is no longer a Chinese citizen, as China does not recognise dual citizenship.
Kuikanmäki told Yle that it is still unclear to him why this connection to China has prevented him from taking up the role as Minister Purra’s advisor.
“I don’t quite know what has happened. It seems to me that there are dimensions to this case that would require an assessment of whether discrimination has taken place, but it is not for me to make that assessment,” Kuikanmäki said.
The government’s office carries out security checks on all individuals appointed to the role of ministerial special advisor, as a matter of protocol.
That’s unfortunate to be denied a job because of your spouse’s former nationality. There has to be more to this story, right??
If I’m interpreting the article right:
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The intelligence service brought up a number of (unspecified) points in the background check. The candidate’s pointing to his partner’s nationality as the reason he was rejected is his own speculation.
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The intelligence service didn’t reject his candidacy—it just provided the background check to Purra’s administration, which then rejected him. Since Kuikanmäki says Purra already knew about his partner, that suggests there was some other new information in the report that actually tipped the balance against him.
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Here is the article YLE references.
ChatGPT translates well enough:
"Information from IL: Riikka Purra’s special assistant appointment fell due to Supo’s security investigation – Reason is partner’s China background
The appointment of Riikka Purra’s (Finns Party) new special assistant was cancelled in an exceptional manner based on a statement provided by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo).
According to IL’s information, the appointment of Riikka Purra’s special assistant responsible for media relations was exceptionally cancelled last week.
Purra had chosen Jari Kuikanmäki, a familiar journalist-producer from Alfa TV, for the position at the end of June, but his appointment was revoked after a security investigation conducted by Supo.
The case is exceptional. It is not known to IL that the appointment of a person already selected as a minister’s special assistant has been cancelled in Finland for a similar reason before – at least not after the selected person has already been introduced as a minister’s special assistant in official or semi-official contexts.
IL investigated how this exceptional situation was reached in one of Finland’s key ministries.
It was supposed to be a formality
According to Supo, security investigations are meant to prevent activities that threaten national security.
"Security investigations are only conducted for organizations whose employees have access to premises of national security significance or handle classified information.
The Prime Minister’s Office (VNK) commissions such investigations for all individuals being appointed as ministerial special assistants or state secretaries. Typically, these investigations do not reveal any information that needs to be reported to the employer.
In the Finns Party, the security investigation was considered a mere formality, so Kuikanmäki was asked to participate in an orientation held on July 6th at Säätytalo and introduce himself as the special assistant to the Minister of Finance.
On the same day, Kuikanmäki also participated in an event hosted by Prime Minister’s State Secretary Risto Artjoki in Königstedt.
Job interview amidst controversy
Kuikanmäki confirms to IL that the information is accurate. Kuikanmäki was originally supposed to start his role in mid-July, but his start was delayed due to the security investigation.
Kuikanmäki stated that he was contacted by the Finns Party in June when the Orpo government was being formed, and the future Minister of Finance’s staff needed additional expertise.
The interview took place at the Finns Party’s headquarters on June 30th – the same day Vilhelm Junnila announced his resignation from the position of Minister of Economic Affairs due to a Nazi-related controversy.
The interview lasted for half an hour and was attended by Purra and State Secretary Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo.
“At the end of the interview, Purra said that the job is mine and welcome. We shook hands,” Kuikanmäki recalls.
Three weeks later, Kuikanmäki received an email from Supo. He was invited to a personal interview.
Partner born in China
The interview took place on July 18th and lasted over an hour according to Kuikanmäki.
Kuikanmäki stated that Supo never told him why he was invited to the interview, but based on the questions, he could infer that they were interested in his long-term partner, who was born in China.
“We met in London in 2011 and have been together since then. We moved to Finland in 2013. She is a Finnish citizen and has lived in Finland for over 10 years. She is employed and a completely blameless person. I thought, this can’t be an issue.”
Kuikanmäki added that a security investigation related to his partner had been conducted for work-related purposes, and it was still valid.
Kuikanmäki’s partner obtained Finnish citizenship in 2022. At the same time, she lost her Chinese citizenship, as China does not recognize dual citizenship.
“Her parents are retired and live in China. We don’t have any other connections to China. I haven’t even been to China.”
In early August, Kuikanmäki received a call from Supo.
“They informed me of an invitation to an ‘use of right to comment’ event regarding the ‘findings’. At this point, I began to worry.”
During the event, Kuikanmäki was informed of the aforementioned findings, which were his partner’s former Chinese citizenship and her trip to China in 2016, as well as her parents’ Chinese citizenship and their trip to Finland in 2017.
Supo did not make any other findings. Supo sent a written notification of its findings to the Prime Minister’s Office, which had been preparing Kuikanmäki’s appointment.
“They said this is quite typical and not to lose sleep over it. These ‘findings’ were exactly the same things that I told Supo during the interview.”
“Can’t appoint you as a special assistant”
On Friday, August 11th, Kuikanmäki traveled to the Finns Party congress in Tampere.
“After I arrived at the hotel room, I called the Prime Minister’s Office, and they told me that the Chief of Security of the Prime Minister’s Office (Ahti Kurvinen) had made a decision proposal in my case, and that the Undersecretary of State (Timo Lankinen) would make a decision on the matter soon.”
According to Kuikanmäki, no decision was ever made – or at least he wasn’t informed of one.
Last Tuesday, Slunga-Poutsalo sent Kuikanmäki a text message stating that he could not be appointed as Purra’s special assistant.
“I received an official notification from Riikka in the morning that you cannot be appointed as a special assistant. I haven’t had a chance to call back and ask for more specific reasons yet, I’ll try to do it tomorrow (if they tell me). It’s quite frustrating!!” Slunga-Poutsalo wrote in a text message seen by IL.
This Tuesday, Kuikanmäki visited the Prime Minister’s official residence to review the written notification sent by Supo to the Prime Minister’s Office. It contained the exact same findings that had been presented to Kuikanmäki at Supo’s premises earlier in August. 96-99 percent pass the screening
According to Supo, it evaluates all information that emerges during the investigation case by case in relation to the sought-after job position.
“The client of the security investigation, usually the employer, is only informed of such information that may be relevant to performing the job duties,” Supo’s website states.
In the majority of investigations, there are no remarks, but in about two percent of the investigations, there is information related to crimes and/or financial difficulties that must be reported. Supo provides the employer with this information in a written notification.
“If no information is found or if it is not sufficiently significant, Supo informs the employer that no information relevant to the investigation has been found about the person. These cases account for 96-99 percent depending on the extent of the investigation.”
Supo never comments on whether the employer should consider the investigation results in recruitment, that is, whether the person is suitable for the applied position.
“The decision to hire an employee is always made by the employer.”
Kuikanmäki told IL that he asked for the decision made by the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday, but VNK stated that no such decision had been made.
“How would you feel”
Kuikanmäki expresses that the nearly two-month-long process has been heavy for both him and his partner.
He feels that he’s not being treated as a Finn. When he became a Finnish citizen, he thought this was his new home. If you were fired from your job because of your partner’s ethnicity, how would you feel? Until now, whenever I was asked if I’ve experienced racism in Finland, I answered “I haven’t,” Kuikanmäki’s partner conveys to IL through Kuikanmäki.
According to Kuikanmäki, the situation is absurd.
“One of my tasks would have been to write a text for the government announcement promoting equality, gender equality, and non-discrimination.”
The only odd thing I see here is that Jari has been with his partner for 10 years and has never been to China to visit her parents.
The rest seems normal. Parents visiting. Again I ask, what are we missing here? Something about the retired parents??
Unfortunately, totalitarian and oppressive governments have the ability to do whatever they want to their citizens. Expats with relatives living in an unfriendly totalitarian nation are vulnerable to state sponsored extortion. Do you want someone that has a high potential to be exploited in a senior government position? This is an example of the least sinister reason why you would fail a security check. For 1 or 2 years after my divorce, I couldn’t get NATO security clearance because people in tenuous financial situations are vulnerable to exploitation. It’s a pretty simple concept. With security clearance any risk means you get denied.
I don’t feel like it’s particularly complex. All governments around the world have seen the events in US where people who are ‘US citizens’ but have family still in China end up spying for China.
Anyone who has relatives in China and working in western government / military is a security risk, because it’s been proven time and time again that China will lean on and threaten family members in their country in order to force their ‘ex citizens’ to do their bidding.
Kuikanmäki told Yle that it is still unclear to him why this connection to China has prevented him from taking up the role as Minister Purra’s advisor.
Can’t believe the Finnish security leopards would eat my face.
