Supply Agency chief resigns in face mask scandal

The CEO of the National Emergency Supply Agency NESA Tomi Lounema has resigned after a scandal involving millions of euros spent on masks from China, ordered through a company in Estonia, which was done without due diligence. Some 230,000 masks which arrived in Finland this week were not high quality enough to be used in hospitals.

Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen (SDP) made the announcement about Lounema’s at a Friday evening press conference in Helsinki; while earlier in the day Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she had lost confidence in him.

Just 24 hours before his resignation, Lounema has outlined the details of two transactions to procure medical-grade protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers. One deal was signed with Onni Sarmaste, a businessman with a history of bad debts who runs a payday loan company. The other deal was with Tiina Jylhä, a woman who runs a plastic surgery business in Estonia.

NESA paid around €5 million for these deals but Lounema admitted his organisation hadn’t done the proper background checks on the individuals they were doing business with.