Prime Minister Petteri Orpo knew the Ministry of Finance had opposed state backing for the Helsinki Garden arena before the project secured a \u20ac35 million conditional support pledge, one of his closest aides has said.<\/p>\n
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Katri Manninen, Orpo\u2019s political special adviser, told Helsingin Sanomat<\/a> that the project advanced as a National Coalition Party target with at least Orpo\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n She said Orpo knew officials had taken a negative view of a state loan guarantee for the project. She added that the ministry\u2019s detailed memo was not in Orpo\u2019s possession, but that he knew the ministry\u2019s position.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The statement adds pressure on Orpo, who has sought to limit his own role in the decision. He said last week that he had not taken part in preparing the proposal and that nobody had presented the project to him before the government\u2019s mid-term budget talks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The dispute concerns the government\u2019s April 2025 decision to reserve \u20ac35 million in conditional investment<\/a> support for Helsinki Garden, a private arena and event complex planned for T\u00f6\u00f6l\u00f6. The money would only be paid if the project goes ahead.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The project had earlier sought a much larger state loan guarantee. The Ministry of Finance rejected that route in late 2024, citing public finance risks, the length of the guarantee and competition from other arena plans.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n New documents obtained by HS<\/a>, Yle<\/a> and Iltalehti<\/a> show that former Helsinki mayor Jan Vapaavuori lobbied Orpo\u2019s office before the budget talks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n In one April 2025 email, Vapaavuori told Orpo\u2019s aides he trusted they would push the Garden support through in the coming talks. Orpo was copied into the message, according to HS\u00a0and IL.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n After the decision, Vapaavuori thanked Orpo\u2019s aides Mikko Martikkala and Katri Manninen for arranging the matter during the talks, the outlets reported.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Manninen rejected Vapaavuori\u2019s wording. She told Yle<\/a> the terms used by Vapaavuori were poor and did not describe government negotiations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n She said the lobbying was normal and that she meets companies, organisations and interest groups as part of her work. She also said Vapaavuori\u2019s role as a former senior National Coalition Party politician was not unusual in Finnish lobbying circles.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Manninen told Yle that Martikkala brought the Garden project into talks between government party aides. Martikkala declined to comment separately and said Orpo\u2019s office would speak through Manninen.<\/p>\n
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