Airiston Helmi financial crime trial begins in Turku Court of Appeal

The appellate court proceedings have begun in Turku regarding a major financial crime case involving the company Airiston Helmi. Prosecutors allege the company acted as a “mask” for the private interests of its primary owner, Russian millionaire Pavel Melnikov, rather than conducting legitimate business operations.

Special prosecutor Petri Rautio stated that seized documents referred to the company as “Finland’s office” and detailed a plan titled “Finland’s Legend” to disguise activities as business. Melnikov, who was previously sentenced to 18 months of conditional imprisonment for aggravated tax fraud, is seeking a dismissal of the charges, while prosecutors are requesting a harsher sentence.

The case stems from a massive 2018 law enforcement operation involving approximately 400 officials, including the National Bureau of Investigation, the Coast Guard, and the Defense Forces. During searches across 17 locations in the Turku archipelago, authorities seized 3.5 million euros in cash and over 300 terabytes of data. Much of the seized material was in Russian, requiring assistance from Europol to process. Prosecutors noted that the seized communications lacked any evidence of intent to generate profit or manage business expenses, supporting the claim that the entity was not a functional commercial enterprise.