The sentence given to Severi Lahtinen by the Päijät-Häme district court is not legally binding.
According to the Ice Hockey Players Association (SJRY), JYP Severi Lahtinen the judgment received does not give a unilateral right to terminate the player contract.
The district court of Päijät-Häme has sentenced Lahtinen to two years of unconditional imprisonment for rape. The judgment is not binding. It is therefore possible to appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Lahtinen denied in the district court that he was guilty of a crime in the case. According to Lahtinen, the charge is baseless and he plans to appeal to the Court of Appeal.
JYP has moved Lahtinen aside from its operations for the time being.
– Based on the judgment, the player’s actions have violated JYP’s core values and operating principles. JYP will clarify the related legal aspects of both the employer’s and the employee’s rights and will inform about its decision in the near future. The player has been moved aside from JYP’s operations for the time being, says the CEO of JYP Jyväskylä Oy Risto Korpela in the bulletin.
The executive director of the players’ association Risto Kauppinen according to the presumption of innocence is valid because the sentence is not legally binding.
– I have had a conversation with the player’s agent. Shelving is definitely the right solution. In that sense, however, we have clear notes that the verdict is not legally binding, so it does not give a unilateral right to terminate the player’s contract. The salary payment obligation will continue during this period as well, Kauppinen stated.
SM-liiga communicated that it wants to wait for the progress of the process initiated by JYP before commenting on the matter.