Finnish Pensioner Used Lottery Win to Hunt Russian Spies

A retired Finnish security agent won 61 million euros in the Eurojackpot lottery in 2014. He then spent his fortune hunting Russian spies during his final decade. Veikko Palko died in April 2024 at age 83. He had worked as a commissioner for Finland's security intelligence service Supo before retirement.

Palko purchased properties that served Supo's operations, according to media reports. He also established a foundation that gave generous scholarships to intelligence sector workers. The foundation received substantial investments from his lottery winnings.

Palko built what investigators call a parallel intelligence service. This operation conducted surveillance and provided other services for Supo. Finnish police now suspect he received classified information from his former agency.

Authorities believe Palko had instructions to share this secret material with other Western security services. Since May 2024, police have investigated several current and former Supo employees connected to Palko.

Prosecutors suspect civilians participated in Supo operations and accessed classified information. The agency's former director Antti Pelttari faces allegations of misconduct and revealing state secrets. This case reveals unusual connections between private wealth and state security operations.

Using private lottery winnings to fund intelligence activities creates clear accountability problems. The investigation shows how personal relationships can blur lines between official and unofficial security work.