Finnish millionaire fined R2.4m for 32 km/h speed limit breach

A Finnish businessman, reported to be one of his country’s wealthiest, has been slapped with a record €121 000 or R2 475 381 fine after being caught speeding this past weekend.

Regret

While named in a recent survey as the country with the happiest population on earth, the man, Anders Wiklöf, who owns a company involved with logistics, helicopter serves and real estate, is likely to be smarting after police trapped him travelling at 82 km/h in a 50 km/h zone near the town of Mariehamn, located on the island of Åland that functions autonomously from the Finnish mainland, on Saturday.

As well as the fine, Wiklöf also had his licence revoked for 10 days, although it wasn’t stated what he had been driving or what ultimately happened with the car.

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According to the Nya Åland newspaper, Wiklöf had been travelling at around 70 km/h in a 80 km/h zone, which suddenly changed to the mentioned 50 km/h restriction without him allegedly noticing.

His subsequent speed after being stopped was deemed to have been over the limit by 32 km/h.

“I had just started to slow down, but I guess it wasn’t going fast enough and that’s how it went,” the paper quoted him saying.

Not the first time

The ban and fine isn’t new to the millionaire though as two prior incidents, both as a result of a speeding, saw him being fined €95 000 (R1 942 761) in 2013 and then €63 680 (R1 302 263) five years later.

In Finland, the cost of a speeding fine is calculated on a driver’s income, which constituted the hefty fine based on Wiklöf’s company being valued at just over R5-billion in 2021.

“I really regret the matter. I have heard that [the government] are going to save one and a half billion on healthcare in Finland, so I hope that the money can fill a gap there. Ideally, I would like [the money from the fine to be] earmarked for that purpose,” Wiklöf said.

Added information from motor1.com.

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