Since several interested parties are known to be the buyer of the Helsinki hall, Mika Anttonen intends to withdraw from his sales intentions. The city of Helsinki hopes to open the arena soon.
– Interest in buying the Helsinki hall is mainly in Finland, but apparently also by some foreign investors, says Vartiainen.
According to the mayor, the names are secret, because the realization of such deals is not promoted by making the names public.
According to Vartiainen, the city has no opportunities to influence the willingness of the current owners of the hall to sell their property. However, Vartiainen hopes that the matter could be moved forward quickly.
– The current owners of the hall have paid the ground rent in accordance with the agreement. Then we as a city have no chance to take any measures, says Vartiainen.
If Helsinki Hall were to be sold, the Russian owners would not get access to the purchase money right away, but would instead go to a separate account to wait for the possible lifting of the sanctions.
In addition, the trade would require the permission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which oversees the international sanctions system in Finland. In practice, you also have to seek approval from the US authorities for the deal because of the sanctions against Russia.
– However, from the owners’ point of view, it could make sense to make a deal, because then both the rent of the plot and the property tax would be avoided. I have no information about how these Russian owners evaluate the matter, says Vartiainen.
Mika Anttonen, who registered as a buyer candidate, is backing down
Anttonen commented to Yle via e-mail on Friday that, while the buyer candidates are now known, he has nothing to say personally about the Helsinki hall.
– Last week’s story was not news. I just told you that if no one else buys the hall, I can see if a deal can be made so that the hall can be opened. It’s not about Helsinki Hall and me, says Anttonen.
He mentions that the current situation significantly disrupts the organization of cultural and sports events in Finland.
15,500 spectators Vetävä Helsinki-halli is one of Finland’s most significant event arenas. Due to the sanctions against Russia, several events there have had to be postponed or canceled.