Finnish Berry CEO Jailed for Human Trafficking
A Finnish district court has sentenced Vernu Vasunta, CEO of the berry company Kiantama, to three and a half years in prison for 62 counts of aggravated human trafficking involving Thai workers.
Vernu’s associate, Thai national Kalyakorn Phongphit, received a three-year sentence for similar charges, according to dailyfinland.fi.
In addition, Kiantama and the two defendants have been ordered to pay over €600,000 (22.5 million baht) in compensation to the workers, covering wages, legal costs, and trial expenses.
Exploitative Conditions for Thai Workers
The court found that Thai berry pickers recruited for the 2022 harvest were misled about their income and living conditions. Once in Finland, they faced conditions comparable to forced labor.
During a 10-week season, each worker harvested between 2,400 and 4,000 kilograms of berries, but most earned only a few hundred euros after deductions for travel, food, accommodation, and vehicle expenses.
Supervisors often collected workers’ passports, and pre-arrival debt agreements created dependency on the company. Workers were not informed about their right to sell berries independently.
Appeal and Wider Scrutiny
The defendants’ lawyers plan to appeal the verdict. The case has reignited scrutiny of Finland’s seasonal labor system and the vulnerability of foreign workers in the berry industry, according to Yle.
Public concern in Finland over the treatment of foreign berry pickers has persisted. Following previous scandals, reforms in 2024 introduced formal employment contracts and mandated wages for migrant laborers.
Previous Trafficking Cases
In 2022, the Finnish Supreme Court sentenced another berry company owner to 1 year and 10 months in prison, marking one of the country’s first trafficking convictions involving berry purchasers (Bangkok Post).
In a separate international case, a British national was sentenced to 21 years in prison for human trafficking linked to a Pattaya bar (Bangkok Criminal Court).