FINLAND: Finland's state prosecutor has said he will bring charges against the former prime minister for her role in a leaked document scandal which toppled her government in June.
Helsinki District Court was due to try Ms Anneli Jaatteenmaki on charges of inciting or assisting the breach of official secrets next February or March, a judiciary source said.
Former presidential aide Mr Martti Manninen, who has admitted leaking information to Ms Jaatteenmaki, faces charges of breaching official secrets. They face fines or up to two years in prison.
Ms Jaatteenmaki stepped down in June, denying to the end she had asked for the secret information, which gave details of talks on Iraq between her predecessor as prime minister, Mr Paavo Lipponen, and President Bush. Ms Jaatteenmaki used the information during March parliamentary elections won by her Centre Party and making her prime minister.
She protested her innocence yesterday. "In my own opinion, during the preliminary investigations I have shown that I am not guilty of punishable behaviour," she told national news agency STT. - (Reuters)