Recently, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest newspaper, has repeatedly mentioned Restaurant Gurkha in connection with criminal cases that have nothing to do with our restaurant, its current owners, or its operations. This framing misleads readers and our valued customers.
We ask everyone to read this statement carefully and judge us based on facts. We trust your sense of fairness.
Under Finnish law, guilt is always individual. Gurkha has never been suspected, investigated, or charged with any crime. Old shareholders left in 2021, and the current owners have no connection to the cases mentioned. Helsingin Sanomat’s coverage creates a misleading impression of guilt.
1. Ownership Facts
- Gurkha was founded in 2013.
- Original shares: 32% Sharma & wife, 30% Sharma’s sister, 38% colleague Aryal.
- Mr. Sharma served as board chair until 2020 but never controlled daily operations. Managing Director Aryal handled all operations.
- In May 2021, the Sharma family sold all their shares.
- Today, ownership is 40% Bhattarai family (Sharma’s sister & husband) and 60% Aryal family.
- Bhattarai and his wife sit on the board; Aryal is Managing Director.
- Sharma family has had no role, ownership, or influence for over four years.
- Sharma’s sister is a passive investor and does not work at Gurkha. Being related to someone convicted elsewhere does not make anyone else guilty.
2. Legal Record
Restaurant Gurkha has:
- never been suspected or investigated by police
- never been investigated by the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI)
- never been charged or indicted
- never appeared in any court case related to human trafficking, labor exploitation, or similar offences
- no connection—direct or indirect—to any ongoing criminal proceedings
3. Control
HS claimed Gurkha was “owned and controlled by the Sharmas.” This is false: the Sharmas never controlled operations, and since 2021 they have had no involvement.
4. About the RIKU Magazine Advertisement
HS implied there was something suspicious about an ad Gurkha purchased. In reality, from 2014–2019 many associations, including police magazines and NGOs, requested small businesses’ support. Gurkha participated like many others as part of normal community responsibility. Since 2020, we have stopped such contributions to avoid misunderstanding.
5. The Real Issue: Guilt by Association
Guilt is personal. It cannot transfer through family relations, former ownership, addresses, old registry entries, or distant connections. Yet HS repeatedly places Gurkha’s name next to unrelated criminal allegations. This is unfair and misleading.
6. Our Request for Fair Reporting
We support free and critical journalism. But fairness requires that if our name is mentioned with allegations, it must be stated clearly: what crime have we been convicted of? The answer is: none.
7. To Our Customers and Community
We are a small, honest, law-abiding restaurant. We pay taxes, follow Finnish law, treat employees fairly, and serve our community with pride.
We ask sincerely: what have we done wrong? Under what law or ethical principle can an innocent small business be framed by association? There is none.
8. Final Statement
If we were guilty, we would accept punishment. But we are not guilty, and we cannot accept insinuation-based labeling.
We humbly request our customers, readers, and believers in democracy and the rule of law to give fair justice to a small restaurant that has served the local community for over a decade in full compliance with Finnish law. Your support matters. It is you who can show that innocent people should not be punished or defamed by powerful media.
