{
  "id": 251472,
  "title": "HS: Ex-MP Ano Turtiainen, wife accused of committing financial crimes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/hs-ex-mp-ano-turtiainen-wife-accused-of-committing-financial-crimes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-07T04:50:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yle News Finland",
    "slug": "yle-news-finland",
    "url": "https://yle.fi/a/74-20239812?origin=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A former Finnish Member of Parliament, Ano Turtiainen and his wife Minna are under investigation for alleged financial crimes in the country between 2018 and 2020, according to the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. Turtiainen faces charges of an aggravated accounting offence, while Minna is accused of the same offense and also faces a charge of debtor dishonesty. The criminal charges are not specified but are believed to be linked to the now-defunct company Gometal, which Turtiainen and his wife jointly owned. This company sold powerlifting equipment online and was declared bankrupt by the South Savo District Court in April 2022 following a request from the Finnish Tax Administration.\n\nBoth Turtiainen and Minna have denied any wrongdoing during the preliminary investigation. Turtiainen, who served as an MP for the Finns Party from 2019 to 2020, was initially expelled from the party's parliamentary group after publishing a tweet mocking George Floyd. He was later dismissed from the party itself. After his dismissal, Turtiainen established his own political party, Power Belongs to the People (VKK), and served out the remainder of his term in parliament with a one-man parliamentary group.\n\nTurtiainen and his wife have since relocated to Russia, where they applied for and received asylum in 2025. They claim to have fled Finland due to political persecution. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported earlier this year that Turtiainen was planning to apply for Russian citizenship. In addition to the financial crime allegations, Turtiainen is also charged with incitement against a national group.",
  "summary": "The one-time member of the Finns Party sought and received asylum in Russia last year, citing political persecution in Finland.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former Finnish MP Ano Turtiainen and wife Minna under financial crime investigation",
    "Charges include aggravated accounting offense and debtor dishonesty",
    "Turtiainen and Minna deny wrongdoing, relocated to Russia in 2025"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}