Man fined €480 for assaulting ex-PM Sipilä

The Helsinki District Court on Tuesday sentenced a man to pay 480 euros for assaulting former Prime Minister Juha Sipilä in front of the parliament building early this year.

The court convicted the 38-year-old man and ordered to pay 80 days income fine as the allegations brought against him were proved beyond doubt, local media reported.

The court in the verdict observed that the attack had no motive other than that the accused had recognised Sipilä as a politician and a former prime minister, reported national broadcaster Yle.

"Such activities should not be given a foothold in this country," said the Yle report, quoting District Court judge Joona Miettinen as saying when delivering the reasons for the decision.

The Chancellery Committee of the Parliament has decided to review the incident of the leakage of the video footage of the attack on former prime minister Juha Sipilä captured by the security surveillance cameras of parliament.

Sipilä, a lawmaker and also a former chief of the Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party of Finland) came under attack in front of the parliament building on 7 January.

One person approached Sipilä and knocked him down, when he was walking over a pedestrian crossing in front of parliament.

The incident was captured by surveillance cameras in the vicinity of parliament buildings.

Following the incident the Chancellery Committee on March 11 decided to terminate Security Director of Parliament Jukka Savola for the leakage of the video footage of the attack on Sipilä captured by the security surveillance cameras of the parliament.

The committee at a meeting took the decision holding Savola responsible for breach of official duty and lack of confidence while discharging works.

On 18 February, Parliament’s Security Director Jukka Savola submitted a report to the committee, in which he admitted that he handed the footage over to the media.

Savola in his report said he gave the footage as a number of media houses wanted to see it from the surveillance camera recordings.

He said according to the Public Access to Information Act, as the director of parliamentary security, he has the discretion to decide whether and to what extent confidential information may be disclosed.

He also said that the requested footage could be handed over as it did not endanger the security of the parliament.