Last Updated on: 31st May 2021, 10:00 am
The Finnish police have announced that they are investigating whether Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s breakfast was illegally subsidized with taxpayers’ money.
Finish PM Sanna Marin found herself in hot water on Tuesday when the tabloid “Iltalehti” reported that she was charging around 300 euros a month for her family’s breakfast at her official residence, Kesaranta.
When opposition officials accused the prime minister of having an egg in the face, the 35-year-old head of government insisted that the benefit should also be granted to her predecessors.
“As prime minister, I did not ask for this benefit or participate in its decision,” Marin said on Twitter.
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Legal experts consulted by the media subsequently suggested that using taxpayers’ money to pay for the Prime Minister’s morning meal may indeed be against Finnish law.
Police announced a preliminary investigation into a possible public service crime on Friday after receiving a request to investigate the matter.
“The Prime Minister has been reimbursed for some meals, although the wording of the Ministerial Compensation Act does not seem to allow this,” police said in a statement.
In the statement, Detective Superintendent Teemu Jokinen said the investigation would focus on decisions made by officials in the prime minister’s office and “in no way affect the prime minister or his official activities.”
Marin said on Twitter Friday that she welcomed the investigation and would stop taking the benefit while it is under investigation.
