Who is Thomas Zilliacus, the ex-YuuZoo CEO who eyed Man United and now wanted in Singapore?

SINGAPORE: An arrest warrant and an Interpol red notice were issued against Finnish businessman and Singapore permanent resident Thomas Zilliacus over misleading financial reports, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Wednesday (Feb 21).

But how did the former CEO and executive chairman of tech company YuuZoo Corporation go from bidding for English football club Manchester United, to being wanted by the authorities? 

CNA finds out.

The entrepreneur, 68, was born in Finland's capital Helsinki, where he previously dabbled in politics.

He became the youngest member of the Helsinki City Council in 1979 and was later re-elected as a councilman. He also ran for the National Parliament, but did not get elected, according to the London Evening Standard.

In 1980, he became Nokia’s corporate communications global head, before moving to Singapore in 1986 to spearhead the company’s Southeast Asia branch.

After he left Nokia, Mr Zilliacus founded Mobile FutureWorks, an investment company in mobile media, services, and hardware.

In 2008, he co-founded social media and e-commerce firm YuuZoo, which was listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in 2014.

Zilliacus came under the international spotlight when he made a surprise bid for English football club Manchester United in March last year.

Other bidders included British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, founder of chemicals producer INEOS, and Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the son of Qatar's former prime minister.

But Mr Zilliacus eventually dropped out of the third round of bidding a month later, noting on social media at the time that the delays in bidding “will make it very difficult for any new owner to build a winning team for next season”.

In February this year, Mr Ratcliffe acquired a 25