Jari Sammatti Demands €42,000 from Parkano over Car-Wreck Orders

Parkanon councillor Jari Sammatti demanded more than €42,000 in damages from the city this spring after being ordered to clear car wrecks and other waste from two properties, according to YLE.

The dispute dates back to 2022, when Parkano’s building and environment committee ordered Sammatti, who also works as an entrepreneur, to tidy two properties under threat of coercive fines. The city board rejected Sammatti’s compensation claim in March and last week dismissed his appeal; earlier the city had imposed €6,000 in coercive fines. Hämeenlinna Administrative Court overturned those fines in 2024, saying the committee had not sufficiently specified which items had to be removed, although the court found the sites did contain messy material.

Sammatti says he cannot tell which vehicles the city considers wrecks and that many were linked to his past work as a car dealer or were hobby vehicles: "I have been accused of car wrecks, but it has not been shown which of them are considered wrecks and on what grounds." He has asked the city for an explanation and is considering a complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman or legal action if the matter is not resolved. City board chair Susanne Talonen-Seppälä urged a fresh start and invited Sammatti to talks, warning that the dispute "undermines everyone's credibility."