Two men who practiced medicine in Finland without proper degrees are likely to only face charges of fraud after investigators failed to find any evidence of malpractice. Police concluded that the treatments handed out by Esa Laiho and another unnamed suspect did not harm their patients.
Laiho was arrested in 2011 after working as a medical professional for almost 10 years. It is believed he used a fake Russian degree to gain a license to practice in Finland.
As well as facing charges of aggravated fraud and forgery, Laiho is also suspected of drug crimes, as he was found with a small amount of fraudulently acquired prescription medication on his person when arrested. A restraint has been placed against his property by Helsinki District Court, which also ordered a EUR 800,000 bond against possible claims from former patients.
Police are also investigating a Russian man and a Finnish man currently living in the US, both of who are thought to have helped Laiho in his quest to appear as a legitimate doctor.
A second unnamed man, who worked as an intern from 2008 and applied for a medical license in 2011, was arrested shortly after Laiho. He is also suspected a using a fake Russian degree to gain access to the lucrative profession.