A political scandal is gaining momentum in Finland, centered on the allocation of €35 million in state support for the construction of the multi-functional Helsinki Garden arena in central Helsinki. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is facing sharp criticism from the opposition over possible violations in the funding approval process and connections to lobbyists.
The Helsinki Garden project involves building a new arena for the HIFK ice hockey club and hosting concerts near the Olympic Stadium. It is led by Jan Vapaavuori — former Mayor of Helsinki, ex-Economy Minister, and a member of Orpo’s party. Initially, the project applied for a €110 million state loan guarantee, but the Ministry of Finance deemed it risky due to potential cost overruns, delays, and competition from existing arenas nearby.
Despite the negative assessments, during last autumn’s budget negotiations, the government approved conditional support of €35 million. According to media reports, Vapaavuori actively lobbied for the project, directly contacting senior officials and Orpo himself. However, these contacts were not properly recorded in the lobbying transparency register (Vapaavuori later promised to correct this).
Petteri Orpo categorically rejects accusations of corruption or the use of party connections. In an interview on the Yle A-Studio program on July 15, he admitted a mistake in communication (prolonged silence amid the scandal) but emphasized that the decision was based on economic calculations affecting employment and development. Orpo noted the conditional nature of the funding and stated that the government would review the amount of support in September, as the project has been scaled back.
“There are no signs of corruption here. Such decisions cannot be bought,” the Prime Minister declared.
Opposition parties — the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, and the Left Alliance — are demanding an urgent parliamentary session for Orpo to report and are even raising the issue of a vote of no confidence. They accuse the government of providing false or misleading information to parliament and the public. An investigation by Helsingin Sanomat also revealed inconsistencies in the Prime Minister’s public statements.
While the government plans to revisit the issue in September, the opposition continues to demand transparency. The Helsinki Garden saga is far from over and could impact the coalition’s ratings ahead of future elections.