Convicted soccer match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal is being held by Finnish police on an international arrest warrant, two years after the Singaporean was jailed in Finland for bribing Finnish league players, officials say.
Detective Superintendent Jari Nieminen of the National Bureau of Investigation said Perumal was arrested last week and that officers were examining the warrant before deciding on further action. He declined to make any further comment.
It was not clear when Perumal arrived in Finland or whether he was suspected of any further illegal activity.
Finnish Football Association spokesman Sami Terava said police had informed them of Perumal's arrest.
"The positive thing is that police have caught him for whatever reason," Terava told The Associated Press. "We were tipped off that he's been in Finland during recent days."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Terava said the FFA has "a very good exchange of information" with the police and local clubs in Finland, where the league season began on April 6.
"There hasn't been a single game played in Finland this year where alarm bells have sounded. There hasn't been any indication of irregular betting in any of our games," he said.
Perumal was arrested in 2011 after a tipoff by another Singaporean while using a false passport in the small town of Rovaniemi, near the Arctic Circle. He had been bribing nine players in a local team and was charged with bribery and match-fixing.
He was found guilty a year later by Lapland District Court and given a two-year jail sentence - though as a first-time offender he only served part of that sentence.
