An official inquiry has cleared Sanna Marin of wrongdoing after a leaked video showing the 36-year-old Finnish PM dancing and drinking with friends and celebrities made headlines around the world.
Several complaints to the Parliamentary Ombudsman have claimed that excessive drinking at the party in August prevented Marin, the world’s youngest leader when she was elected in 2019, from performing her official duties.
However, Finland’s Chancellor of Justice – an independent agency responsible for monitoring the legality of ministers’ actions and to which any citizen can lodge a complaint – concluded that she had not neglected her responsibility.
There is “no reason to suspect the Prime Minister of unlawful conduct in the performance of her duties or neglect of her official duties,” wrote Chancellor Tuomas Pöysti in his verdict.
Complaints to the chancellor also claimed that her behavior was inappropriate for a prime minister and that she had undermined Finland’s “reputation and security”.
Pöysti said the complaints did not detail what official duties the prime minister allegedly failed to perform or what duties she might not have been able to perform when asked to do so, and that he could only assess “specific situations”.
A still from video footage of Sanna Marin partying with friends in August. Photo: TwitterAt the time, Marin told reporters she was “upset” that the clips, which she knew were being filmed but believed would remain private, had been leaked. “I spent the evening with my friends, partied, also boisterously, danced and sang,” she says.
Amid unfounded reports that drugs may have been used, she denied ever taking any herself and took a test, which came back negative. “I’m human. And sometimes I long for joy, light and fun in the midst of these dark clouds,” she later said.
The Chancellor also addressed complaints about a separate photo taken at a party at the Prime Minister’s residence showing model and influencer Sabina Särkkä and another woman – not Marin – kissing and lifting their tops.
Pöysti said his responsibility is limited to assessing the legality of ministers’ actions and that it is not his job to judge the “moral and social” dimensions of a prime minister’s leisure activities or the trust they enjoy.
Such questions are “a matter for Parliament,” he said, adding that political accountability “is also regularly weighed in democratic elections.” The prime minister’s official residence could be used for private events, he said.
Marin’s critics and political opponents claimed her behavior was inappropriate, careless and irresponsible, saying her choice of friends showed a lack of judgment and leaked photos and videos could expose her to criticism or even blackmail.
Her many supporters – including women who posted videos of themselves dancing – defended their right to party. The Prime Minister herself said she hopes that “in 2022 it will be accepted that even decision-makers can dance, sing and party”.
She said it’s up to voters in elections to judge whether their behavior “was appropriate from their point of view and what they think about it.”