Prime Minister Orpo Faces Detailed Scrutiny Over Helsinki Garden and Valmet Automotive Decisions as Chancellor of Justice Investigates Impartiality and Parliament Prepares Confidence Vote

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (National Coalition Party) has personally requested the Chancellor of Justice to expedite the handling of complaints regarding the Helsinki Garden arena project, according to a communication from the Chancellor’s Office. The project, which received €35 million in conditional state aid in spring 2025, has faced scrutiny over its decision-making process, with six complaints submitted to the Chancellor of Justice in late June. Ilta-Sanomat reports that the Chancellor of Justice, Janne Salminen, has now sent Orpo a detailed request for explanations regarding both the Helsinki Garden and Valmet Automotive cases, with a deadline for responses by the end of August (Ilta-Sanomat). The request includes over 15 questions probing Orpo’s contacts with project representatives, the preparatory process, and his awareness of campaign donations from Ilpo Kokkila, a key figure in both the arena project and Valmet Automotive (Yle).