Accel Partner Relander Arrested

Kaj-Erik Relander, a general partner with venture firm Accel Partners and former CEO of Sonera Corp., was arrested last Tuesday by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), according to the Associated Press. Relander was arrested on suspicion of breaking the country’s privacy laws, a Sonera spokesman told the AP, which reported that Sonera allegedly broke the law by monitoring its employees’ phone calls in an attempt to find out who may have leaked information to the media about an internal company dispute in 2000 and 2001.

An Accel spokesperson could not be reached for comment before PE Week went to press.

Relander joined Accel about a year ago. He is a general partner in Accel’s $500 million Accel Europe Fund LP, which closed in 2001, according to Venture Economics’ VentureXpert database.

In a brief bio on its Web site, Accel says “Relander’s extensive executive management experience, domain knowledge and network of international contacts strengthen Accel’s expertise in Europe.”