A Finnish court sentenced the former executive of Polarica, a well-known berry harvesting company, to two and a half years in prison after convicting him on 78 counts of human trafficking involving Thai laborers. The workers were deceived into traveling to Finland to pick wild berries under conditions amounting to forced labor. Meanwhile, a Thai coordinator was sentenced to an additional nine months in prison. This case is the largest human trafficking case in Finland's history.
On 9 Jun 2023 GMT+7, the Lapland District Court in Finland sentenced Jukka Kristo, former CEO of the wild berry harvesting company Polarica, to two years and six months in prison after convicting him on 78 counts of human trafficking. The charges stem from exploiting Thai laborers who traveled to Finland to harvest wild berries.
The court also sentenced Kalyakorn, known as "Durian" Pongsit, a Thai coordinator for the company, on the same 78 counts, imposing a nine-month prison term. The court reduced her sentence considering her previous three-year imprisonment last year for a related human trafficking case involving another wild berry harvesting company.
Finnish public media has identified this as the largest human trafficking case in the country's history, with dozens of Thai laborers among the victims.
During the trial, the court found that both defendants recruited Thai workers to travel to Finland to harvest wild berries, providing misleading information about income and actual working conditions. Upon arrival in Finland in 2022, the workers incurred travel, accommodation, and other expenses, immediately plunging them into debt before starting work.
Although the workers labored long hours daily with almost no days off, their income after deducting expenses was minimal. The court noted that many workers received little compensation relative to their effort.
Additionally, the court found that some accommodations were of poor quality and overcrowded, yet the workers were charged unreasonable rent rates compared to living standards.
Most victims were Thai laborers with only primary education and spoke only Thai, limiting their access to information and assistance. They had no choice but to continue working to repay debts and expenses incurred.
Consequently, the court ruled that the workers’ wild berry harvesting constituted “forced labor,” qualifying as human trafficking under Finnish law.
Beyond imprisonment, the court banned Jukka Kristo from conducting business for five years and revoked his military rank. Both defendants and Polarica were jointly ordered to pay approximately 500,000 euros (about 21 million baht) in compensation for financial losses and psychological suffering, plus around 400,000 euros in additional legal costs. Polarica was also fined 150,000 euros (approximately 6.3 million baht).
However, the verdict is not final, as both defendants may appeal. They continue to deny the charges. The prosecution also plans to appeal, seeking to increase the prison term to five years as previously requested.
This case arises amid stringent Finnish government scrutiny of the wild berry harvesting industry, which relies heavily on foreign labor, especially numerous Thai workers each year. Finland’s abundant forests are rich in various wild berries such as lingonberries, blueberries, and cloudberries.
In late May, Finland’s Competition Authority disclosed findings from an investigation revealing that several wild berry harvesting companies, including Polarica, colluded to fix purchase prices paid to laborers in a cartel-like manner between 2013 and 2023, suppressing fair compensation.
This case is viewed as a landmark in combating exploitation of migrant labor in Finland’s wild berry harvesting industry and could lead to reforms in foreign labor protection measures in the future.