A Finnish court has sentenced a former berry company executive to two and a half years in prison for trafficking Thai seasonal workers in what has been described as Finland’s largest human trafficking case.
The Lapland District Court found former Polarica CEO Jukka Kristo guilty on 78 counts of human trafficking. His Thai business associate, Kalyakorn Phongphit, was also convicted and received a nine-month prison sentence.
According to the court, the pair recruited Thai workers to pick wild berries in Finland in 2022 but misled them about working conditions and potential earnings. Many workers arrived heavily indebted due to travel and living costs and earned little despite working long hours without days off.
The court found that accommodation provided to some workers was overcrowded and of poor quality, while the workers had few realistic options other than continuing to work to repay their debts. The court concluded that the berry picking had become forced labour.
Kristo was also banned from business activities for five years and ordered to forfeit his military rank. The two defendants and the company were ordered to pay around €500,000 in compensation to the victims and a further €400,000 in legal costs.
Both defendants have denied the charges and plan to appeal the verdict. Prosecutors have also announced plans to appeal, seeking a harsher sentence.
Related posts:
New berry trial begins: Olli Sorainen’s trial begins amid bribery and human trafficking scandals
Finnish berry execs on trial for human trafficking, court expects 6-month proceedings
Some Thai berry pickers earned what equals 15 years salary during the season in Finland
Finnish Berry picking boss sentenced to prison on charges of human trafficking of Thai workers
