Coronavirus Law scholars: Prime Minister Marin, who celebrated without an official call, could violate the code of conduct binding on ministers

Prime minister Sanna Marinilla (sd) was not on a business trip during a leisure night between Saturday and Sunday. A message was sent to the phone on Saturday at 8 p.m. to avoid contact with other people.

The reason for avoiding contact was the Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (green) coronavirus infection on Saturday.

Ministerial According to the handbook, the official mobile phone must be kept on hand and ready for use, as the Government Situation Center sends notifications, invitations and alerts to the official mobile phone of ministers and civil servants.

Professor Emeritus of Administrative Law at the University of Helsinki Olli Mäenpää in the opinion of the Minister’s handbook, an interpretation can be made that the Prime Minister cannot go on a leisure evening without a government official telephone ready for use.

“It is precisely the prime minister who can be expected to be available from his official phone 24 hours a day because he has such a central position in the state leadership. For this reason, the Minister’s Handbook obliges the Prime Minister, for objective reasons, to carry a business phone with him in his spare time. “

For objective reasons, Mäenpää refers to the Prime Minister’s special position as the head of the Government’s activities.

“If there were a security threat to Finland, for example, it would be very miraculous if the Prime Minister were not reached by his business phone. Still, not all ministers are in the same special position as the Prime Minister, ”says Mäenpää.

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“It is precisely the prime minister who can be expected to be available from his office 24 hours a day because he has such a central position in the leadership of the state.”

Government In order to ensure operational and decision-making capacity in the event of disturbances and emergencies, the Government Situation Center has a 24-hour ability to reach the state and civil servants.

“The Minister’s Handbook is written in a binding format and requires a business phone to be kept with you at all times. Regardless of the handbook, it is clear that due to the Prime Minister’s state status, he must always be able to be reached through the Government’s information and alert system, which also ensures the Prime Minister’s personal security, ”says the Professor of Public Law at the University of Turku. Janne Salminen.

Attorney general Tuomas Pöysti does not want to take a position on the Prime Minister’s case. However, he notes that the Minister’s Handbook contains the interpretations and practices generally accepted by the Government on practices that are binding on Ministers.

“The manual contains clear and general guidelines that can be deviated from in certain cases. I will not comment on this at this stage, ”says Chancellor of Justice Pöysti.

He does not want to answer, for example, whether the Prime Minister can be required to carry a business phone with him in his leisure evening.

Read more: Prime Minister Marin told HS about his nightclub exposure to the coronavirus: “I myself should have used it better”

Magazine Seiska said on Sundaythat Prime Minister Marin celebrated in Helsinki’s nightclubs on Sunday until the wee hours.

Another message was sent to ministers on their official telephones on Saturday at 10 p.m.

“Everyone who has had the same program with the Foreign Minister on Friday 3.12. please avoid contact for the time being. “

Prime Minister Marin met with Foreign Minister Haavisto at least at a long meeting of the EU Committee of Ministers on Friday.

Prime Minister Marin said on Sunday that he had a parliamentary mobile phone with him on the night between Saturday and Sunday. It is still not a business phone mentioned in the Minister’s handbook.

State Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Henrik Haapajärvi said on Sunday he called the prime minister on Saturday at about 7:20 p.m. However, he did not instruct the Prime Minister to avoid contact.