‘Perfectly legal’: Finnish PM Sanna Marin offers to take drug test after partying video leak

Finnish PM Sanna Marin has faced reporters after videos of her partying were leaked, insisting she did nothing wrong.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has offered to take a drug test after videos of her partying were leaked, insisting she did “perfectly legal things”.

The 36-year-old, whose partying lifestyle has previously been criticised by her political opponents, came under fire again this week after fresh footage emerged on social media of the PM drinking with a group of celebrity friends.

In the videos, originally published to Instagram Stories, Ms Marin is seen dancing and singing songs by Finnish rapper Petri Nygård and pop singer Antti Tuisku, with a number of Finnish public figures including TV and radio hosts, influencers and musicians.

After the raucous videos made headlines in Finland and overseas, MP Mikko Kärnä from Ms Marin’s coalition partner Centre Party wrote on Twitter that the PM should take a drug test.

“Just for the sake of the discussion in public, it would be wise of the Prime Minister voluntarily went through a drug screening, the results of which would be made public by and independent body,” he wrote.

“The people are also allowed to expect this from their Prime Minister.”

A similar call was made by Riikka Purra, leader of the right-wing Finns Party, in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat.

“Certainly a voluntary drug screen could be good,” she told the newspaper. “If there’s nothing to hide, it would certainly remove suspicion if it was negative.”

Appearing at a press conference in the eastern city of Kuopio on Thursday, Ms Marin insisted she had done nothing wrong and would be willing to take a drug test if necessary.

Sanna Marin has offered to take a drug test. Picture: Matias Honkamaa/Lehtikuva/AFP

“I have nothing to hide,” she said. “I have never taken drugs.”

Ms Marin said she did not understand the calls for a drug test.

“I have seen no evidence that anything has been used anywhere,” she said.

According to public broadcaster YLE, some Finnish media outlets had reported that the term “jauhojengi” — or “powder gang”, a reference to cocaine — can be heard in one of the clips.

“However, social media users have pointed out that the term used is more likely to be ‘jallujengi’ or ‘jallu jenny’, an apparent reference to the Finnish liquor Jaloviina,” the outlet noted.

Ms Marin confirmed the videos were filmed in a private apartment a few weeks ago and that the group had later gone to two more bars.

She said she knew she was being filmed but though the videos would remain private.

“I am upset that these videos have become public,” she said.

“It was about me having a night out with friends. Partying — even in a boisterous way — dancing and singing. Personally, I did not take drugs, nor did I consume anything other than alcohol. I danced, sang, and partied — perfectly legal things. And I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve seen or known of others [using drugs].”

Ms Marin added while she had previously talked about shaking up the institution of Prime Minister, that is not what the parties were about.

“I want to show that there are ordinary people with ordinary lives in these jobs,” she said.

“I have a family life, I have a work life and I have free time to spend with my friends. Pretty much the same as many people my age.”

Following the press conference, Ms Purra of the Finns Party said it had not helped the PM’s image.

The Finnish PM insists she did nothing wrong.

“There is a shadow of doubt over her, which clearly did not disappear during her press conference,” she told Helsingin Sanomat.

“One way or another, she has to get rid of the suspicions and prove them wrong, or her credibility will suffer a lot.”

Ms Marin, who became Finland’s youngest ever PM in 2020, has previously made headlines with her partying.

Last year she was forced to apologise for going out clubbing until 4am after coming into contact with a Covid case.

The PM went out to dinner and drinks just hours after her Foreign Minister had tested positive, having initially been told she did not need to isolate as she had been fully vaccinated – but later missing a text that advised her to do so.

“I am very sorry for not understanding that I needed to do that,” she said in a statement on Facebook at the time.

She explained she had missed the text message which was sent to her government phone, not the personal phone she had on her.

Critics of the PM said she should have had her government phone on her at all times for national security reasons in case of an emergency.

At the time, a columnist for the major Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter savaged Ms Marin for “celebrity a** licking”, saying she “seems to love surrounding herself with celebrities and likes to pose on social media”.

Her judgment was also called into question after posing for a photo with Janne Raninen, a former hitman who spent two decades in prison for two gang-related murders.

But the Millennial leader has also earned many fans.

German newspaper Bild this week described Ms Marin as the world’s “coolest politician”.

“She is the most important politician in her country, has to lead it through one of the most dangerous crises of her time because of the warlike activity of her neighbour Russia – and still finds time to celebrate,” the paper wrote.

“Casual, modern and self-confident – that’s how politics can work. Marin stands for the ‘cool generation’, which Putin definitely doesn’t like.”

Ms Marin has been an outspoken voice against Russian President Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine in February.

She had led the charge, along with Sweden’s leader Magdalena Andersson, for their two historically neutral nations to join NATO.

Originally published as ‘Perfectly legal’: Finnish PM Sanna Marin offers to take drug test after partying video leak