Now Hannu Lintu, accused of a drug crime, is speaking – This is how he justifies his act – 2024-04-13 07:12:55

Conductor Hannu Lintu. JOEL MAISALMI

Conductor Hannu Lintua, 56, is charged with a drug offence. The District Court of Eastern Uusimaa confirms the information to Iltalehti.

The application has started on March 12. According to the information, the crime would have taken place in November in Vantaa. The conductor is the only defendant in the case, in other words, no other persons are accused of the crime.

Hannu Lintu commented on the accusation to Iltalehte from his work trip on Friday, April 12. According to him, it is about sleeping pills that he ordered from abroad, from England.

– I have ordered 90 sleeping pills by mail and they were left at Customs. I hadn’t ordered them before, but I had used the same medicine previously as prescribed by a doctor in Finland, Lintu says.

– When the tuner starts to do something, he immediately gets caught, he adds.

According to Linnu’s experience, it has become more difficult to get sleeping pills in Finland.

– I have a job that requires me to travel to different time zones and I have to be in top shape to conduct an orchestra. I have used sleeping pills because of it. Why are medicines that are very necessary for people prescribed so narrowly, says Lintu.

– Even a couple of doctors had said that they could no longer write a prescription. A stupid thing to do anyway, but it has its own practical background. I have friends who do this, he adds.

Lintu has served as chief conductor of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2013-2021. Currently, he works as the chief conductor of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.

Linnu’s former partner Professor Pekka Mattila died aged 45 in January. The couple were together for 17 years, until they divorced in 2023. Mattila worked at Aalto University as a professor of marketing. He was appointed to the position about a year ago for a five-year term.

Ilta-Sanomat was the first to report on the matter.

Hannu Linnu’s comments on April 12 have been added to the story. at 11:30 a.m.