When you receive a letter in your mailbox with “French Republic” written on the top right, you know that it is rarely good news.

However, in France, compared to our European neighbors, we can consider ourselves quite secure, as fines for violations are classified into the following categories: with a fine of up to €3,000 for a class five violation and a repeat offense.

Penalty based on income

3,000 euros is indeed an amount, but it is nothing compared to what Finnish businessman Anders Wykloof will have to pay. The latter was driving at a speed of 82 km/h in a 50 km/h limit zone, and such an excess will cost him a modest sum of approx. 120,000 euros.

The latter did not deny his guilt and told Finnish media Nya Aland: “I am very sorry for what happened and I hope that the money will be used by the public treasury for health care”.

But how can we get that amount for a speed limit of “only” 32 km/h? The Finnish system is very different from ours because the amount of offenses is correlated with the tax income declared by the offender. Since Anders Wykloof is one of the richest people in the country, the amount of the fine is very high indeed. In addition to this violation, Anders Wykloff’s driver’s license was suspended for ten days.

A drop of water for a businessman

And this is not the first time when our main character is caught speeding. Indeed, according to the newspaper Nya Åland, he already received two speeding fines in 2013 and 2018 and had to pay €95,000 and €63,680 respectively.

However, this need not necessarily burden his finances, as Anders Wiklöf controls 100% of Wiklöf Holding, which operates more than 20 companies in the logistics, construction, helicopter services, real estate, trade and tourism sectors. According to its website, in 2020 the company had a turnover of 247 million euros and an operating profit of 11 million euros.

The man started his career in 1969 by importing German cars to Finland. In addition to cars, she also has a large art collection and owns the Anders Wykloof Institute for Heart Research, which aims to improve the prediction and prevention of cardiovascular disease. In 1989, he also founded the Baltic Sea Foundation to protect the environment in the region.