Muhos municipality in Finland has terminated the employment of its leading building inspector, Jultuz Änwär, during his probation period, Yle reported, according to Iltalehti.
The community board decided the matter unanimously on Monday, on a proposal from technical director Mikko Kari. Änwär had worked for the municipality since the start of August.
"The decision is based on an overall assessment of the official's suitability for the task during the probation period. The handling has taken into account the official's right to be heard and the written response he submitted," board chair Jaakko Pellikka told Yle.
Änwär earlier told Yle he suspected the termination would be connected to the Google interview he gave the broadcaster. Kari and Pellikka have both said the possible termination was not linked to the Yle interview or to Google.
Muhos has drawn wide publicity over Google's data center project. In early summer the building inspector gave Google consent to start preparatory measures at the data center site under section 109 of the Building Act. In October the Lupa- ja valvontavirasto, the licensing and enforcement agency, put the works on hold.
In September the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation said Google had illegally felled forest in Muhos and Kajaani. Google felled about 330 hectares of forest in Muhos.
Änwär said in his earlier interview that he would not himself have agreed to Google's request to begin preparatory works, because the permit processes for the Muhos data center project were still badly unfinished.