Berry firm execs face human trafficking charges in Lapland court
The two accused face 62 charges in relation to the treatment of Thai berry pickers and the trial is likely to last up to six months.
The trial of two people charged with human trafficking in connection to the activities of a berry-picking firm began in Lapland District Court on Tuesday morning.
Vernu Vasunta, CEO of berry company Kiantama, and Kalyakorn “Durian” Phongpit, the firm’s Thai business partner, face 62 charges of aggravated human trafficking.
Both defendants have denied the charges.
The trial is expected to last up to six months, an exceptionally long time for a district court hearing, with a verdict unlikely before the end of March next year. The court has reserved a total of five weeks to hear the testimony of the plaintiffs in the case alone.
According to the prosecutor, Vasunta and Phongpit recruited berry pickers from Thailand and subjected them to forced labour and inhumane living conditions in Finland. The prosecutor has called on the court to hand the defendants prison sentences of between 3-4 years.
The offences are suspected to have taken place in different parts of the country during the berry-picking season of 2022. The court heard that the pickers were already in debt to the company when they arrived in Finland, as they were overcharged for flights, visas and food.
In addition to the prison sentences for the two accused, the prosecutor has also called for the court to fine Kiantama 100,000 euros for exploiting the Thai workers. The prosecutor also ordered the defendants to forfeit about 230,000 euros to the Finnish state, as the money is the proceeds of crime.
At a preliminary hearing in May, the defence argued that the Thai workers deliberately sought entry to Finland in an attempt to gain access to the system for victims of human trafficking.
Other legal proceedings
Finland’s berry picking sector has long faced accusations and rumours of the mistreatment of foreign workers.
A second trial is currently underway, in which Jukka Kristo, the former CEO of berry company Polarica, faces 77 counts of aggravated human trafficking. Kalyakorn Phongpit is also a defendant in that trial, where prosecutors have demanded he be sentenced to five years in prison.
This trial began with a preliminary hearing at Lapland District Court last month, but the actual proceedings will not begin until next spring.
In yet another trial, Kristo is suspected of bribing Olli Sorainen, a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, in relation to the purchase of two violins.
Related stories from around the North:
Finland: Berry crisis resolved – Thai workers return to Northern Finland, The Independent Barents Observer
Norway: Climate change brings cloudberry to Svalbard, The Independent Barents Observer
