Finnish businessman convicted of trafficking Thai berry pickers; ordered to pay €500,000 in compensation
A Finnish court convicted businessman Jukka Kristo of trafficking 78 Thai workers to pick berries in Finland in 2022, sentencing him to two and a half years in prison. The case involved forced labor, passport confiscation, and degrading working conditions for thousands of Thai pickers who arrived that year. The conviction and compensation order highlight ongoing labor exploitation issues in Nordic countries and prompted Thailand to suspend berry picker travel to Finland pending renegotiation of terms.
The Lapland District Court in Finland convicted Jukka Kristo, former CEO of berry company Polarica, on 78 counts of human trafficking and sentenced him to two and a half years in prison. His Thai business associate, Kalyakorn Phongphit, received a nine-month sentence for the same offenses. The court ordered both defendants and Polarica to pay victims €500,000 (19 million baht) in compensation, and fined the company €150,000. Prosecutors documented that workers faced forced labor conditions including substandard housing without shower facilities, inadequate meals, passport confiscation, and fear of retribution for complaints. The case involved approximately 4,000 Thai pickers who arrived in 2022. Kristo was also banned from conducting business for five years and stripped of his military rank. The ruling can be appealed.
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- Bangkok PostCenter
Finnish businessman convicted of trafficking Thai berry pickers
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