Pentti Lintunen reflects on private investigation career and infidelity cases in Finland

In a recent discussion, one of Finland’s most seasoned private investigators, Pentti Lintunen, shared insights about his long career in the field. He recounted a notable case involving a woman who suspected her husband of infidelity with his ex-wife. To confirm her suspicions about the paternity of a child born to the ex-wife, Lintunen obtained the birth certificate, which lacked a father’s name. He then contacted the woman to suggest that she should provide additional information, ultimately revealing the father’s identity and validating the woman’s concerns.

Lintunen co-founded the Turku detective agency in 1974 with his friend Matti Linnela. Celebrating their decades-long partnership, they recently recounted stories from their careers. In the agency’s early days, the duo primarily handled cases of infidelity. During 1977, a staggering 90 percent of their 77 assignments involved marital issues, a reflection of Finland’s then-strict divorce laws.

Lintunen pointed out that private investigators are still needed today due to high thresholds for police investigations. Cases now often revolve around corporate matters, with Teemu Aapavaara, chairman of the Finnish Private Investigator and Law Office Association, confirming that investigators are engaged for due diligence in business transactions.

The founders specialized in corporate security and once employed around 60 individuals, predominantly store detectives, assisting in capturing 90 percent of shoplifters in Turku during certain years. Lintunen emphasized the ongoing necessity for private investigation, noting that a lack of a central registry for such agencies makes it challenging to quantify their numbers in Finland, although there are approximately 30 active agencies.