Pekka Paavola

Pekka Paavola (born 3 August 1933 in Tampere) is a Finnish politician, Minister of Justice in the 1972 cabinet, and a convicted criminal in multiple cases.

Paavola was a city manager in Tampere 1969–1985. He was the Minister of Justice in the 1972 Rafael Paasio's cabinet with Social Democratic support. He was convicted of corruption in so called Noppa Case in the 1980s, when he was found guilty of misusing office for personal gain. Paavola was manager in the newspaper company Lehtimiehet Oy and later in the magazine company Yhtyneet Kuvalehdet. He retired in 1996. He returned to politics in 1992 when he was elected to Tampere city council on the Pro Tampere ticket. He later formed the Tampere Independents group.

In 2002 he was convicted of aggravated tax fraud. He received a 10-month suspended prison sentence.

The city council dismissed Paavola in 2002, but he was elected again in 2004. In December 2006 he was elected as a chairman of the council with a support from the Conservatives, Christian Democrats, The Centre and the Greens. He still has a good reputation among many ordinary people in Tampere. He was on Tampere city council until 2008.

On 31 December 2009 Paavola was handed a four-month suspended sentence for perjury in a case related to Maija-Liisa Lahtinen.