valituslupajärjestely

Valituslupajärjestely refers to a legal procedure in Finland that allows certain court decisions to be appealed to a higher court only if permission to appeal is granted. This system applies primarily to decisions made by the Courts of Appeal (hovioikeus) and, in some cases, to decisions from administrative courts. The purpose of the valituslupajärjestely is to ensure that the Supreme Court (Korkein oikeus) or the Supreme Administrative Court (Korkein hallinto-oikeus) focuses its resources on cases that have broader legal significance or where there is a clear need to establish or clarify legal principles.

The process begins when a party dissatisfied with a Court of Appeal's decision wishes to appeal it to the Supreme Court. They must file a request for leave to appeal, known as a valituslupa. The Supreme Court then reviews this request and decides whether to grant permission. Permission is typically granted if the case is of significant jurisprudential importance, if there is a need to correct a clear error in the lower court's decision, or if there are other particularly strong reasons to hear the appeal. If leave to appeal is denied, the decision of the Court of Appeal becomes final, and further appeal to the Supreme Court is not possible. This system aims to filter out cases that do not meet the high threshold for the Supreme Court's review.