Suspended auditor, Tytti Yli-Viikari, which may have to resign from alleged unjustified expenditure at the head of the State Audit Office, presented its case to Parliament ‘s Committee on Wednesday morning.
Yli-Viikari was embroiled in a consumption scandal after it was announced that she spent about 5,000 euros of public funds on hairdressing and beauty care services. Questions were also raised about the use of Finnair Bonus flight points.
He was suspended from work in April.
On Wednesday, Yli-Viikari told reporters after the meeting that there was no legal basis for his dismissal, saying that the matters presented in the Audit Committee’s report were not the legal responsibility of the CEO.
"They are matters for which the various officials are formally responsible in the performance of their duties," he told the media.
Poem read to the media: “What a woman”
In response to Yle’s question about the possibility of damaging the agency’s reputation, Yli-Viikari said there were no legal grounds to impose liability solely on the CEO.
"I believe that there are no legal grounds for holding the Director-General fully accountable. It must be seen that the leader is responsible [overall] strategic management. Of course, it is my responsibility to follow the agency’s instructions and regulations," he said.
Yli-Viikari stated that he did not agree with some of the 64 expert opinions in the Audit Committee’s report.
"Some of these statements do not describe responsibilities, such as which responsibilities always belong to which official," he said.
When asked if he intends to return to the job from which he has been frozen, Yli-Viikari responded by quoting passages from a poem by the former Lutheran bishop of Helsinki, Irja Askola, while he has Askola and Anja Porio named "What woman," or roughly inverted, "What woman".
The aim of the Chancellery Committee is to find out whether Yli-Viikari has the prerequisites to return to become the director of the audit firm.
A decision on the matter is not expected until its next scheduled meeting next week. MEPs are also due to decide on his possible dismissal next week.
Source: The Nordic Page