- By: Pekka Kallioniemi
- @P_Kallioniemi
Former Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) officer Veikko Palko, who won a €61 million Eurojackpot lottery in 2014, used part of his fortune to fund counterintelligence work for Supo during his retirement.
Palko, who died in 2024 at age 83, had already retired from Supo over 15 years earlier but continued to work—informally—for more than six decades, focusing on countering Russian espionage.
Using part of his winnings, Palko also founded a private foundation in 2015 with a €1 million endowment, which awarded large grants to Finnish intelligence professionals.
Despite the legal questions, there is no indication that Palko or others acted against Finland. Palko was widely regarded as one of the most successful hunters of Russian spies in Finnish history and remained loyal to Finland until his death.