A one year Suspended jail sentence for aggravated fraud was upheld against former skier Jari Räsänen. Former coach Pekka Vähäsöyrinki also had his nine–month suspended sentence upheld.
The Helsinki District Court found both men guilty of aggravated fraud in 2011. It found Räsänen had used banned substances in 1996 and 1997. Both plaintiffs filed an appeal.
The District Court found both men had not told the truth in an earlier case following reports by the Finnish News Agency (STT) concerning the wide scale use of banned substances amongst Finnish skiers.
However, in 1998, the courts supported defamation charges filed against STT. The agency as well as its Editor-in-chief and a reporter were ordered to pay damages.
Further investigations a decade later showed Räsänen and Vähäsöyrinki had lied then to the courts.
In reaction to the court's decision, Räsänen told Yle he was "disappointed".
