Former MP Satu Taavitsainen given suspended sentence for aggravated defamation. Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva
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The South Savo District Court has sentenced Satu Taavitsainen, a former Finnish MP and current city councillor, to a 60-day suspended prison sentence for aggravated defamation.
The court ruled that Taavitsainen, who represents the Left Alliance, spread false and suggestive claims about her former party colleague Jarno Strengell, in a manner deemed highly offensive and damaging to his reputation.
She must pay Strengell, who is affiliated with the Social Democrats, 10,000 euros in compensation for suffering. She is also liable for his legal costs of nearly 15,000 euros, along with additional witness and victim fees totalling under 400 euros.
The ruling is not final, and Taavitsainen has indicated she may appeal. “The outcome was not what I had hoped. I am considering an appeal to the Court of Appeal,” she told Yle.
The charges related to claims made between 2020 and 2023 in Facebook posts, emails, a public market event, and in regional newspaper Länsi-Savo. The claims were widely shared, including coverage by national media. One key incident involved a Facebook post from April 2022, in which Taavitsainen accused Strengell of sexual assault. A police inquiry found no grounds for further investigation.
The court determined that Taavitsainen should have recognised that her claims lacked credibility and were likely unsubstantiated. It concluded that the dissemination of the accusations to a wide audience justified the aggravated classification of the defamation.
Strengell told Yle he was partly satisfied with the outcome. “The suspended sentence matches the prosecutor’s request. The acts were treated as a single case, so the compensation is at the maximum.”
Despite the conviction, Taavitsainen continues to hold political office. She served in Parliament from 2015 to 2019 and was re-elected in April to both the Mikkeli City Council and the South Savo Regional Council.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
