Misuse of funds is the most common form of corruption in Finland, but cases involving misuse of information are increasing. Suspected corruption is related more to companies than before. A study conducted at the Police University College focuses on corruption crime in 2011–2014.
In Finland, the most common forms of corruption are misuse of funds, misuse of information and disclosure of confidential information. Corruption is clearly more common in business operations than in the public sector.
This information is indicated by a study conducted at the Police University College, Corruption Crime in Finland in 2011–2014. The study reviewed features of bribery and other forms of corruption and changes compared with the previous study, which focused on the period 2007–2010.
The research material included reports of offences with features of corruption collected from the police information system. There were 516 reports of offences with features of corruption. That is about 10 per cent more than during the previous monitoring period. The number of reported bribery offences had increased by 15 per cent.
Street-level corruption rare in Finland
Misuse of funds is the most common individual form of corruption, and it covers about a third of the cases that have been investigated. Other common forms of corruption include misuse of information with financial motives and disclosure of confidential official information.
“The number of corruption cases directly related to money has remained at the same level. It is increasingly a case of misuse of information. Information is also the most common gain from corruption cases,” estimates Researcher Suvi-Tuuli Mansikkamäki .
About every other corruption case takes place either within a company or between companies.
“Corporate operations are more clearly visible against the background of corruption than in the previous study. Internal or mutual corruption between operators in the public sector is considerably less common than corruption related to corporate operations,” says Mansikkamäki.
According to the study, street-level corruption is rare, such as offering money to an authority for a service. Cases involving bribery are minor, as was the case in the previous study, and they are related to, for example, competitive procurement, match-fixing and influencing voters in the case of municipal elections.
Suspect typically a managerial employee
Based on reports of offences, corruption suspects are usually male, middle-aged and managerial employees. The majority of suspects are Finnish: the share of other nationalities is only a couple of per cent.
“A key change in the background of suspects is the clear increase in the share of managerial employees. This is related to the importance of information: corruption often involves breaching a business secret, in which case a person in a managerial position uses confidential information for personal advantage,” explains Mansikkamäki.
Obtaining proof is a challenge for the investigation
It is often challenging to obtain proof when investigating suspected corruption, in particular in cases in which benefit other than money has been exchanged. Less than 60 per cent of suspected corruption cases are referred for consideration of charges.
“As the operations of organisations are transferred into networks, the opportunities for committing offences also increase. Protecting information is more challenging. It is important to take this trend into account in corruption prevention,” says Chief of Research Vesa Muttilainen from the Police University College.
The next follow-up survey on corruption will be published in 2019, covering reports of offences for 2015–2018. Information is obtained for the purpose of crime investigation and prevention, and training through regular monitoring.
The Corruption Crime in Finland in 2011–2014 report is available (in Finnish, with an abstract in English) on the Police University College website at www.polamk.fi/julkaisut .
