In early 2011 ‘d municipal government in Pajala decide on the plan of Northland Resources mine in Kaunasvaara, outside Pajala. The zoning plan had been stopped by the County Administrative Board of Norrbotten, since it lacked a description of how the mine would affect the environment.
At the same time, contact Northland Recourses Harry Rantakyrö, then vice mayor, councilor and chairman of the technical committee, and offers him a job.
On February 8, the municipal government decides that it will appeal the County Administrative Board’s decision to the Government, and require the undandröjs. Municipal government also decides that you should continue the work plan of the mine while waiting for a response from the government.
April 1, less than two months later, the Harry Rantakyrö work in Northland Resources personnel department. SvD Business can now reveal that he discussed with the company about the position while he was involved in the decision on the plan.
An obvious case of disqualification, according to the Institute against bribery.
– In that case the Municipal Act is very clear. If you are elected and somehow personally affected by an issue then you should step aside. This applies not only at the decision, but throughout the process, says Helena Sunden, Secretary General of the Institute against bribes to SvD Business.
Harry Rantakyrö applied for a job at Northland Resources back in 2010, when he moved back to their home Pajala from Kiruna. When the company offered him the job in early 2011, he thought did not last long, he says to SvD Business.
– I did not need more than 2-3 seconds for me to answer. Jobs do not grow on trees up here right away, says Harry Rantakyrö.
You were thus in contact with Northland about job while you sat in council and decided on the zoning plan?
– No, I was not in the municipal government of the turns. I was only a member of the council then.
You were of course also with the municipal government, I see here on the minutes of the decision?
– Yes, I did. It’s so long ago that you get prospective tightly.
Do you see any problem with that?
– No, I do not see any trouble with it . I was not employed yet, I had just received an expression of interest from them. And it was not that I had any role in Northland.
Two other Members of the municipal government which had links to the mine reported the other hand, biased, and did not participate in the decision about the plan. It was Johny Lantto (S), which owns the land where the mine is now, and Maria Alldén (V) sat in the municipality’s planning and environment committee and was one of those who had developed a detailed plan. Harry Rantakyrö reported but not disqualification.
– No, I did not report a conflict of interest in that I was not employed at Northland yet. We did not have a contract of employment.
But, according to the Institute against bribery does not matter.
– It has no importance whatsoever if one is not employed yet, but the question is whether it has a personal interest. Is it even close to such a situation, you should flag it. It should be pretty easy to understand, says Helena straits.
According Sunden would Northlands job offer in itself be considered a bribe.
– It must prosecutor at the National Anti-Corruption Unit decide, but if one makes decisions for the entire municipality’s behalf because they want to promote their own starting position for future employment, it could fall within the scope of a bribe. Is it so it is very serious, but that there is even a suspicion is bad enough, she says to SvD Business.
Harry Rantakyrö left the council and technical committee in May 2011, but remained seated in the council even after He began working at Northland Resources. According to the municipality has no further decisions have been made about the mine at the time.
In September in 2014 was elected Harry Rantakyrö to the new Mayor of Pajala, after Kurt Wennberg (S). On 15 December he finished in Northland, a week after the board requested the company into bankruptcy, and at the end he became mayor.
Do you have tips?
Contact SvD Enterprise reporters frida.sundqvist@svd.se and anna.fagerlind@svd.se
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