Finland jails ex-Polarica CEO in 78-count Thai labor case
What's new: The court called the berry-picking scheme forced labor and ordered about 900,000 euros in compensation and legal costs.
A court in Finland sentenced former Polarica CEO Jukka Kristo to 2 1/2 years in prison after convicting him on 78 counts of human trafficking tied to Thai berry pickers. Lapland District Court also convicted Thai associate Kalyakorn Phongphit and gave her a nine-month sentence, after a prior three-year term in another berry-firm case. Judges found the pair recruited Thai workers in 2022 with misleading promises about pay and conditions, then trapped many in debt through travel, living and lodging charges. The court said the workers, who often spoke only Thai, worked long days without days off and had little real choice but to keep picking berries. Kristo was barred from business activities for five years. The defendants and Polarica were ordered to pay roughly 500,000 euros in compensation and another 400,000 euros in legal costs. Both sides plan to appeal.