IL: Supo blocks Purra’s choice for media advisor role due to China links
The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) highlighted a number of issues during the preferred candidate’s security check, including his partner’s former Chinese nationality.
Finance Minister Riikka Purra’s (Finns) plans to appoint journalist Jari Kuikanmäki as her media relations advisor have fallen through following a background check by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo).
The decision was first reported by tabloid Iltalehti.
In an interview with the newspaper, Kuikanmäki said that Supo highlighted a number of issues during his security clearance check, including his partner’s former Chinese nationality, a trip to China in 2016, the Chinese nationalities of his partner’s parents, and a trip to Finland in 2017.
“We met in London in 2011 and have been together ever since. We moved to Finland in 2013,” Kuikanmäki told the tabloid, adding that his partner is now a Finnish citizen, with no criminal record, and has lived in Finland for over 10 years.
IL noted that Kuikanmäki’s common-law spouse became a Finnish citizen in 2022, and is no longer a Chinese citizen, as China does not recognise dual citizenship.
Kuikanmäki told Yle that it is still unclear to him why this connection to China has prevented him from taking up the role as Minister Purra’s advisor.
“I don’t quite know what has happened. It seems to me that there are dimensions to this case that would require an assessment of whether discrimination has taken place, but it is not for me to make that assessment,” Kuikanmäki said.
The government’s office carries out security checks on all individuals appointed to the role of ministerial special advisor, as a matter of protocol.
That’s unfortunate to be denied a job because of your spouse’s former nationality. There has to be more to this story, right??
If I’m interpreting the article right:
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The intelligence service made a number of (unspecified) comments in the background check. The candidate’s pointing to his parter’s nationality as the reason he was rejected is his own speculation.
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The intelligence service didn’t reject his candidacy—it just provided the background check to Purra’s administration, which then rejected him. Since Kuikanmäki says Purra already knew about his partner, that suggests there was some other new information in the report that actually tipped the balance against him.
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Here is the article YLE references.
Deepl does a readable translation
The only odd thing I see here is that Jari has been with his partner for 10 years and has never been to China to visit her parents.
The rest seems normal. Parents visiting. Again I ask, what are we missing here? Something about the retired parents??
Unfortunately, totalitarian and oppressive governments have the ability to do whatever they want to their citizens. Expats with relatives living in an unfriendly totalitarian nation are vulnerable to state sponsored extortion. Do you want someone that has a high potential to be exploited in a senior government position? This is an example of the least sinister reason why you would fail a security check. For 1 or 2 years after my divorce, I couldn’t get NATO security clearance because people in tenuous financial situations are vulnerable to exploitation. It’s a pretty simple concept. With security clearance any risk means you get denied.
I don’t feel like it’s particularly complex. All governments around the world have seen the events in US where people who are ‘US citizens’ but have family still in China end up spying for China.
Anyone who has relatives in China and working in western government / military is a security risk, because it’s been proven time and time again that China will lean on and threaten family members in their country in order to force their ‘ex citizens’ to do their bidding.
It’s quite possible that China still considers her a citizen as they historically do not recognize Common Law Marriages. There may be more to this story or it may be as simple as “Hey, may wanna think twice on this guy. If the CCP uses her parents as a pressure point they may be able to influence him.”
Before anyone scoffs this same marriage in reverse, that’s is if she had his position, is not legal in China and the marriage license would be denied. Influence is the reason that the CCP won’t allow it, which tells you that it happens.
Kuikanmäki told Yle that it is still unclear to him why this connection to China has prevented him from taking up the role as Minister Purra’s advisor.
Can’t believe the Finnish security leopards would eat my face.
