Finland’s partying PM Sanna Marin cleared of misconduct
- The premier became the subject of global headlines and local complaints after a leaked video showed her dancing with celebrities
- But the country’s independent chancellor of justice has concluded that Marin did not neglect her duties as prime minister
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Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was on Friday cleared of misconduct following an official inquiry after a leaked video showed the 36-year-old partying last August.
Dozens of complaints were filed to Finland’s chancellor of justice after the premier was shown dancing and partying with friends and celebrities, driving global headlines.
But the chancellor, an independent office responsible for overseeing the legality of government activities and to which any citizen can lodge complaints, concluded that Marin had not neglected her duties as prime minister.
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‘I am human’: Finnish Prime Minister Marin address party incident
There was “no reason to suspect the prime minister of unlawful conduct in the performance of her duties or of neglect of her official duties”, Chancellor of Justice Tuomas Poysti concluded.
At the time of the scandal, Marin said she spent “an evening with friends” and that the videos were “filmed in private premises”.
“I am human. And I too sometimes long for joy, light and fun amidst these dark clouds,” she said.
Complaints to the chancellor alleged that Marin was unfit to work “due to alcohol consumption”, claimed her behaviour was inappropriate for a prime minister and that she undermined Finland’s “reputation and security”.
Finland PM denies taking drugs after video shows her dancing at ‘wild’ party
But the chancellor said the complaints failed to establish that Marin had omitted or jeopardised a “specific official duty”.
Assessing the “moral and social” dimension of a prime minister’s leisure activities is “a matter for parliament”, the chancellor said, adding that: “Political accountability is also weighed periodically in democratic elections”.
In August, Marin took a drug test, which was negative, to clear up any suspicion voiced by some that comments heard on the video referred to narcotics – something heavily debated on social media and strongly denied by the prime minister.
