Report: Former Chief of Defence Jarmo Lindberg broke waiting period agreement

On 23 April 2020, the Ministry of Defence completed a report on whether the former Chief of Defence, General (ret.) Jarmo Lindberg broke the waiting period agreement he had concluded with the Ministry when he set up a consultancy company.

Work on the report was started after the Ministry of Defence became aware on 19 April 2020 that Lindberg had set up his own company, Suomalainen kenraalikonsultointi Oy in January 2020.

Lindberg and the Ministry of Defence concluded a waiting period agreement following Lindberg's transfer to the reserve in July 2019. The agreement was in force until the end of January 2020, from 1 August 2019 to 31 January 2020. The purpose of waiting period agreements is to maintain public confidence that the authorities act in an objective and legitimate way and in line with the principles of good governance.

According to the report, Lindberg filed a start-up notification of his company in the Trade Register on 9 January 2020, and the Finnish Patent and Registration Office registered the company on 16.1.2020.

The limitation period included in the waiting period agreement requires that the public official who has signed the agreement shall notify in writing the other contracting party, in this case the Ministry of Defence, if they start a new job or business. Lindberg did not submit such a notification during January and he thus violated the notification requirement referred to in the waiting period agreement.

The Ministry of Defence considers that the breach of the agreement was serious and Lindberg’s failure to comply with the notification requirement to be reprehensible.

Since Lindberg set up the company at the end of the agreement validity, any waiting period would have been very short, extending a maximum period of three weeks. In addition, there were no business activities during the waiting period. For these reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not consider it necessary to require Lindberg to pay a contractual fine under the waiting period agreement. 

ENCLOSURES:

Report on the business activities of General (ret.) Jarmo Lindberg during the limitation period under the waiting period agreement

Waiting period agreement between the Ministry of Defence and Jarmo Lindberg

Inquiries:

Permanent Secretary Jukka Juusti (contact with Director of Communications Niina Hyrsky: +358 295 140 120).

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