
The former commander of the Finnish Defence Foreces, Jarmo Lindberg, has been sharply rebuked by the Ministry of Defence over his role as a paid consultant for Lockheed Martin.
The ministry says Lindberg committed a “breach of contract” which forbids him from taking up work without submitting notice to the ministry for a period of six months after he retires.
Lindberg retired in July 2019, and set up his new consulting company in January this year, about three weeks before the ‘non compete’ clause of his contract was due to expire.
His decision to take a paid position as a consultant for Lockheed Martin drew criticism when it was reveled last week, as the company is one of five bidding for a lucrative €10 billion contract to supply the next generation of Finnish fighter jets.
Lindberg would have been one of a handful of people to know, broadly, the details of the bids from all of the companies who want to win the tender.
Although Lindberg set up his company in January, the ministry says it recognises that he didn’t actually start to do any work for Lockheed Martin at that time and won’t be imposing any financial penalties on him for breach of contract.
Since Lindberg’s consulting job came to light, the Ministry of Defence has issued a ban on contacts with consultants in connection with the fighter contract.