Aarnio gets life-term imprisonment for murder

The Helsinki District Court on Tuesday sentenced Jari Aarnio, former chief of the Helsinki police drug unit to life-term imprisonment for his involvement in the contract killing of Volka Ünsal at Vuosaari in Helsinki in 2003.

The court in its verdict said Aarnio was informed about the pre-planned contract killing of Swedish-Turkish national Ünsal but did not take any measure to stop the murder.

According to the law, if a police officer does not take measures despite being informed about a possible murder, the officer can be convicted of the murder and sentenced to life-term imprisonment.

Such conviction is the first of its kind in Finnish legal history, said the national broadcaster Yle.

The court, however, acquitted another accused, Keijo Vilhunen, a former gang boss, as the allegations brought against him were not proved beyond doubt.

Earlier, four men – three Finns and one Swedish – were sentenced to life-term imprisonment for the murder of Volka Ünsal.

Aarnio is already serving a 13-year imprisonment for various charges, including drug trafficking and abuse of office.