Yle highlights that Tallinn has become a favored location for Finnish economic criminals.

The broadcaster has determined that nearly 930 individuals charged with crimes in Finland either own or manage companies in Estonia. Of these, 467 are Finnish citizens and nearly the same number are Estonian citizens. These individuals have been accused of nearly 2,400 crimes in Finland, almost half of which are economic crimes.

Yle began investigating the matter because individuals convicted in Finland use Estonia to bypass business activity bans imposed at home. Additionally, these individuals attempt to hide their assets from creditors.

They identified 58 individuals banned from conducting business in Finland who continue operations in Estonia. In Finland, a business ban is imposed when the court finds that a person has used a company to commit a crime. Such a ban is supposed to also be enforced in Estonia.

Many of these companies in Estonia are so-called "shelf companies," which are managed from Finland. According to Yle, the activities of Finnish economic criminals in Estonia often remain in the background. Finnish police do not have jurisdiction in Estonia and the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on the matter.

However, the damage caused by these economic criminals is primarily felt in Finland, where they include tax debtors. As a result, the victims of these crimes include creditors and the Finnish state.

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