Conscripts | The suspect of fraud appeared in court without a lawyer: “No one has told me about the possibility”

Defense forces The processing of the suspected shelling case in the Coastal Navy last year ended in a few minutes at the Turku District Court on Tuesday. The accused appeared at the trial without an assistant, to which he is entitled according to the Military Procedure Act.

“No one has told me about the possibility of a free lawyer”, the accused answered the judge when he asked why he did not have an assistant with him.

Also the district attorney Ville Urpomäki stated to the judge’s question that it is easier to answer the charges when the defendant has a lawyer to help him.

The defendant had a bunch of papers with him, on which he had recorded facts for his defense. However, he stated that he would like a lawyer to help him, if the state would pay for it.

In the hall, it was found out that the interested parties have no claims against the defendant. The court session was cut short for the four involved parties to go through the travel expenses and loss of income as the actual session moved into the future.

Turku the courthouse was supposed to read the man an indictment for abuse of a superior position, which is a military crime. During the fall, at least one similar suspected crime will be heard at the Turku District Court.

In March 2023, Helsingin Sanomat reported on the suspicion that dozens of conscripts were enlisted in the Coastal Fleet of the Defense Forces. The preliminary investigation was initiated by a request for an investigation made by the commander of the Coastal Navy after conscripts had told about improper behavior in the Coastal Navy’s land organization in the final interview.

The main base of the coastal fleet is located in Pansio in Turku and the second base in Upinniemi in Kirkkonummi.