HELSINKI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Finnish parliament will interrupt its summer recess next Tuesday to debate corruption allegations surrounding the government's pledge of 35 million euros (40 million U.S. dollars) in conditional support for the Garden Helsinki arena project, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Thursday.
Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho confirmed that lawmakers would convene at noon following requests from Orpo and all opposition parties. The government will submit a formal statement on the case, which could lead to a vote of confidence.
Halla-aho told Finnish national broadcaster Yle that the controversy involved "suspicions of corruption, questionable use of taxpayers' money and whether the prime minister has told the truth in discussions related to this matter."
"I consider these to be extremely serious questions," he said.
Recalling parliament during its lengthy summer recess is highly unusual in Finland. Next Tuesday's session will require the government to publicly explain how the arena project was selected, what assessments supported the funding pledge and whether competing projects were considered, reported Yle, describing the session as an important test of Orpo's credibility.
The government made the political decision in April 2025 to conditionally support Garden Helsinki, a planned multipurpose arena in capital Helsinki. No money has been paid, and parliament will have to make a final decision through the normal budget process before the funding can be released.
The National Audit Office of Finland opened an inquiry Wednesday into whether Projekti GH Oy, the company behind the project, was required to report its repeated contacts with government officials to Finland's Transparency Register.
Hanna Wass, associate professor of political science at the University of Helsinki, told Yle that the case had raised broader and "embarrassing" questions about lobbying, political financing and transparency in the country.
