Advertisement

Singaporean fixer arrested in Helsinki

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal, convicted in 2011 for fixing football matches, has been arrested in Helsinki, according to Finland's National Bureau of Investigation. The 48-year-old was held last Wednesday following an international arrest warrant issued by Singapore authorities. "Wilson Raj Perumal was arrested last week in Helsinki, and we are studying the request for extradition made by Singapore officials," Jari Nieminen, head of the investigation, said. They would not comment on whether or not he was under investigation for new crimes in Finland. A report in the Helsinki Times said Perumal was being kept in Vantaa Prison "until further notice to facilitate the proceedings". "The police will carry out the extradition determination, after which it will be decided whether or not he can be surrendered," Nieminen was quoted as saying by the newspaper. First jailed in 1995 in his own country, Perumal was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in 2011 for fixing games in Rovaniemi, northern Finland. Since last summer, he has been under house arrest in Hungary, where he has cooperated with the police investigating football manipulation. (Reporting by Sakari Suoninen; additional reporting by Amlan Chakraborty; editing by Martyn Herman)