Matti Raatikainen

The job includes, inter alia, the following:

To operationalized the Mission mandate and tasks as set out in the planning documents and the Mission Implementation Plan (MIP) and, in particular, the extension to the mandate to provide support to Ukrainian authorities to facilitate the investigation of any international crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crime of aggression) committed in the context of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine;

To exercise leadership, management, direction, coordination and ultimate responsibility for the work and staff of the Unit to ensure it delivers on the Mission mandate within the field of responsibility and tasks as set out in the planning documents, the MIP and instructions issued by the Head of Mission;

To design strategies, initiatives and work streams that support Ukrainian authorities involved in the investigation of international crimes, particularly, the National Police of Ukraine, the Special Bureau of Investigations and the Security Service of Ukraine, and to direct the Unit in the implementation of the above;

To support Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in improving cooperation and coordination between themselves as well as with the Office of the Prosecutor General;

To direct and lead the Unit in providing strategic advice and training to Ukrainian authorities in particular in the areas of investigation strategies, and the implementation of best international practices in investigating international crimes in Ukraine.

In 2022 the key fields where additional training and advice were identified (investigation planning, prioritization and case selection, IHL, interviewing skills, OSINT, crime scene/mass grave/missing persons investigations, international and national cooperation, witness protection, etc.). The component has since implemented more than 50 trainings/workshops for some 600 participants from OPG, SSU, NPU, SBI and MoI Academies.

• Reviewed legislative and regulatory documents, analyzed implications and shared findings.
• Advised senior leadership on potential implications of proposed policies or regulations for the organization''s mission or operations.
• Advised on identifying specific geographic, institutional or social communities of concern from a violent extremism vulnerability perspective
• Advised on understanding the drivers and dynamics of violent extremism and terrorism
• Contributed to the drafting of the National Strategy on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism

• Joined Helsinki CID in 1995, worked in different departments ) theft, fraud, murder, sexual violence, organized crime, surveillance, undercover) as a detective and detective sergeant until 1983.
• 1983 - 2019 worked in the Finnish Security Intelligence Service on counter espionage and counter terrorism, since 2007 as a Chief Superintendent responsible for managing and planning intelligence, operations and inquiries related to counter terrorism offences and investigations in Finland and relevant international cooperation.
• Operationalising and managing the counter terrorism related tasks of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service including complex scenarios and multiple unexpected demands. In addition to supervising and managing the unit consisting of teams of intelligence officers and analysts, the work includes handling high quantities of sensitive and secret data in order to produce, for example, risk analysis and security assessments for the highest decision makers in the country. Tasks also entails international cooperation with counterparts from the counter intelligence and counter terrorism services and organizations around the world, in which excellent communication and interpersonal skills are vital due to the nature of the work. During my service in the FSIS I worked on assignments in several countries, including Iraq, Yemen and Libya.
• From May 1989 until May 1993 I worked as a Vice Consul/Nordic Countries LEA Liaison Officer together with representatives from US, UK, Greece, France, Italy, Germany and Russia (counter terrorism, drugs and weapons trafficking, etc.) in Cyprus, covering countries such as Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, etc.
• From May 1993 until May I worked as a MoIA Special Representative/Counsellor in Tallinn/Estonia, covering also Latvia and Lithuania, establishing excellent cooperation between Finnish and Baltic LEAs, especially as regards organized crime, drugs trafficking, etc. and setting up joint investigations on such cases.

• In EU Planning Team (April+June, 2008) I was planning the structure and activities of the EULEX War Crimes Investigation Unit became operational in June, 2008.
• I set up he Unit, selected the staff and organized the reception of some 6000 case files from UNMIK. These files needed to be digitalized and organized in professional manner, whereafter the cases were reviewed, analyzed and prioritized.
• Between 2008-2012 and again 2014-2018 managed successfully three investigation teams, one analysis team, 20 local language staff and one missing persons team that were diverse in both national and professional backgrounds. In addition, the Kosovo Police War Crimes Unit was embedded under EULEX WCIU. I was mentoring, training and practically supervising also this unit.
• EULEX WCIU completed successful investigation into a large number of complex war crimes/crimes against humanity cases involving high profile suspects/defendants, out of which some 50 cases led to trials/convictions. These cases included first CRSV cases in Kosovo.
• Together with with forensic experts from the Office of Missing Persons and Forensics we managed to locate hundreds of grave sites/ mass graves resulting in the exhumation and identification of about 500 individuals.
• Although my work was to manage the WCIU, it also required daily cooperation with other EULEX offices and bodies, including, but not limited to, the SPRK (Special Prosecution Office of Kosovo), judges, EULEX Intelligence, Special Police, Witness Security Unit ans os forth. In addition, I gathered an in-depth understanding of the monitoring, mentoring and advising functions of the Mission and the challenges and the opportunities that relate to it , part of my Unit's daily work was to monitor, mentor, train and advise the local War Crimes Unit staff.
• The work included daily cooperation not only with EULEX prosecutors, but also with SPRK prosecutors in Kosovo and with Serbian prosecutors, the cooperation was excellent and resulted for example in long lasting joint-investigation with Serbian counterparts and convictions of Serbian war criminals in Belgrade.

The project was a (twinning) police reform project, more precisely focusing on the local level reforms within the FYROM police. I was responsible for planning and managing our research, analysis, assessment and reporting activities in the Ohrid-Bitola-Prilep area, covering about 1/4 of FYROM.

Research and analysis was conducted for example in the following law enforcement fields: criminal investigations, police-prosecutor cooperation, equipment and logistics, personnel management, budget management, border police, traffic police, management and leadership, press and public information, leadership issues, gender and ethnic related issues as well as corruption and financial crime.

• Setting up the investigation unit in Beirut, Lebanon to start the investigations into the murder of Prime Minister Hariri and 20 others
• Supervised the investigations and drafting plans, strategies and SOPs, established working procedures and trained the staff

• Conducted and supervised (1-3 investigation teams consisting of investigators, legal advisers, analysts and local staff) war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide investigations in Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania
• Completed cases include the first ICTY CRSV case, the first ICTY command responsibility case and the first destruction of cultural property case.
• Planned, organized and supervised hundreds of investigation missions to different parts of ex-Yugoslavia and elsewhere; these include large-scale search and seizure operations where sometimes hundreds of members from ICTY, SFOR, UN, etc. took part.
• Evaluated team member performance against established objectives during regular reviews, offering praise for achievements or identifying areas requiring further development.
• Collaborated with other department leaders to establish shared goals and ensure alignment across teams.
• Maintained an inclusive and diverse team culture, promoting respect and understanding among all members.
• Trained staff in different fields relevant to international crimes investigations.
• Cooperated with investigators, prosecutors and intelligence officers from numerous countries.