The integrity of any health care system depends largely on public trust. Patients must believe that the doctors treating them are not only professionally competent but also ethically sound and trustworthy. Yet recent revelations from an international investigative project have exposed a troubling loophole in Finnish medical regulation – one that has allowed violent criminals, sexual offenders, and doctors banned across Europe to retain their licenses and continue practicing medicine in Finland.
An investigation by Yle, in partnership with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the UK’s The Times, and Norway’s VG, found that more than 20 doctors who have been banned, sanctioned, or convicted abroad continue to hold valid medical licenses in Finland. The findings raise serious concerns about patient safety, regulatory oversight, and the adequacy of Finnish law in preventing dangerous practitioners from relocating and resuming their careers.
The issue stems from a narrow clause in Finnish legislation: a doctor may only lose their license if a crime they committed was carried out “in connection with the practice of their profession” and within Finland. As a result, even the most serious offenses – including sexual crimes, child abuse, violent assault, and attempted murder – may not be considered grounds for discipline if committed abroad or outside the doctor’s duties.
This interpretation has had astonishing consequences. According to Yle, several doctors who have lost their right to practice in other European countries due to crimes or incompetence remain fully licensed in Finland. Some have even continued working in clinics and hospitals without their employers or patients being aware of their criminal history.
The investigation highlighted several particularly troubling cases:
Kwok Yun Lee, who lost his medical license in Norway for incompetence and subsequently in the Netherlands, was later sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempted murder and assault in Norway. Despite these convictions, he remains licensed in Finland and Estonia. According to the report, he has worked in Finland in the past.
Martin Ahlström, convicted in Sweden of child rape and sentenced to three years in prison, still holds an active Finnish medical license.
Yusef Issa, currently serving time in Sweden for tax fraud and previously convicted for forging COVID-19 certificates during the pandemic, is no longer licensed in Sweden but remains licensed in Finland. He has changed his name five times since his first conviction.
In total, the investigation found that 12 doctors licensed in Finland despite bans abroad had been convicted of crimes. Nine others had been banned in foreign jurisdictions due to serious professional incompetence posing risks to patient safety.
One of the most disturbing cases involved a doctor previously convicted in Sweden for possessing more than 250 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse and pornography. He had also distributed one such image. Although he lost his license in both Sweden and Norway following his conviction, he has worked in at least two Finnish health facilities in recent years.
A Finnish mother, Michelle Haga, described her shock upon learning the doctor’s background. Unaware of his past, she had taken her four children to see him for ear infections in 2022. “A doctor who has been convicted of such a crime should not work with children or other people,” she told Yle.
The doctor’s Finnish license remains active. Over the past five years, he has changed his name twice, making it even more difficult for patients and employers to uncover his record.
Finland’s national health regulator, Valvira, told reporters that it had investigated the doctor in 2022 after being notified of the bans in Sweden and Norway. However, because Finnish law only allows action when crimes occur in Finland and in connection with professional duties, Valvira concluded it had no legal grounds to revoke his license.
Valvira officials said they could not comment on individual cases but emphasized that their powers are limited by law. “A crime alone cannot be the basis for this decision,” said Mervi Koivuniemi, head of one of Valvira’s units. She explained that authorities must conduct a broader assessment and that the law currently does not consider personal or foreign convictions relevant unless they affect professional conduct within Finland.
Still, Koivuniemi acknowledged growing political pressure for reform. She noted that the definition of what constitutes grounds for disciplinary action must be reevaluated, particularly “crimes that are serious and threaten life, health, and personal integrity.”
The revelations have prompted outrage among politicians, patient safety advocates, and legal experts across Finland. Many argue that the law is outdated and fails to reflect the realities of an increasingly mobile medical workforce. In the European Union, doctors can easily move across borders, and regulators must rely on efficient information-sharing and robust legal frameworks to ensure that dangerous practitioners cannot escape accountability by relocating.
Finnish legislators are now calling for urgent reform to allow foreign convictions and serious personal crimes to be considered grounds for suspending or revoking medical licenses. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health confirmed it is reviewing the law on the supervision of medical professionals, though it declined to provide specifics.
The Bad Practice investigation reveals a broader issue: medical regulation across Europe remains fragmented. Some countries have strict oversight mechanisms, while others lack processes to verify foreign disciplinary records. As a result, doctors banned in one nation may simply move to another, often without detection.
This patchwork oversight poses a significant threat to patient safety. Without coordinated databases and harmonized standards, the European medical community remains vulnerable to exploitation by doctors with dangerous histories.
The situation in Finland is not merely a legal oversight – it is a matter of public trust. Patients assume that those treating them have passed rigorous checks and are safe to practice. Discovering that violent criminals and sexual offenders can legally retain their licenses undermines confidence in the entire health care system.
Unless Finland reforms its medical regulatory laws and strengthens information-sharing with other countries, more patients may unknowingly fall into the care of doctors with histories that should have disqualified them long ago.