The largest human trafficking trial in Finnish history began on Tuesday at the Lapland District Court in Rovaniemi.
The berry company Polarica Marjahankinta, its former CEO Jukka Kristo, and the company's Thai business partner Kalyakorn "Durian" Phongphit stand accused of 78 counts of aggravated human trafficking, one for each of the plaintiffs. The defendants deny any wrongdoing.
Kai Kotiranta, the defence attorney for Polarica, Kristo and his personal company, describes the case as exceptional in international terms. He predicts that the eventual ruling will have a broad impact on Finland’s berry industry, which relies heavily on foreign guest workers.
Defence attorney denies trying to delay trial
The trial was originally scheduled to begin in May, but the initial hearing was delayed because Kristo argued that the judges were prejudiced against him. Lapland District Court disagreed, but the presiding judge decided to change the other judges to be on the safe side.
In early August, Polarica and Kristo claimed that the preliminary investigation had been launched illegally. They argued that the alleged crimes had partly occurred in Thailand and that, therefore, the preliminary investigation should not have been begun without approval from the Prosecutor General. Lapland District Court also dismissed this allegation.
Kotiranta denied that these demands were delaying tactics.
"It is certainly best for all parties if the matter is handled quickly rather than slowly. When it comes to such a serious criminal case, it is important to ensure that the process has been and is appropriate in all respects," Kotiranta told Yle.
