Jukka Kristo, the former CEO of the berry industry company Polarica, called Thai pickers who made poor results “shitheads”. He admitted that he had used “raffled” language.
The former CEO of Polarica, which was embroiled in human trafficking and bribery scandals Jukka Kristo56, denies the serious criminal charges against him.
According to the prosecutor, Kristo, together with his business partner, arranged for low-income, illiterate and dependent Thai berry pickers to go to Finland and made them do forced labor.
Based on the preliminary investigation material of the Central Criminal Police (KRP), Kristo spoke about the pickers in an understated tone, and according to his claim, he was not aware of the harsh conditions the pickers lived and worked in.
Jukka Kristo is accused of aggravated human trafficking and aggravated bribery, among other things. Mikko Huisko
Work from morning to night
According to Kristo, the recruitment went “by word of mouth”. It was handled by Kristo’s Thai business partner, a woman in her fifties.
The woman has also had a business partnership with Kiantama, a berry company. Kiantama CEO Vernu Vasunta is also accused of gross human trafficking.
According to the prosecutors, the allegedly outrageous human trafficking carried out by Kiantama and Polarica was quite similar: the pickers were in “debt prison”, worked from morning to night and lived in harsh conditions.
“Damn good system”
According to what they said, the Thai people who picked berries for Polarica had to live in cramped, cramped and rude premises. police preliminary investigation material
The accommodation was organized against the culture of Thai pickers: men and women in the same premises. police preliminary investigation material
Polarica had granted the pickers an “advance payment” of around 1,100 euros to offset, among other things, travel expenses. Thus, the pickers were already seriously in debt compared to their income level before arriving in Finland.
The prosecutor described the pickers’ situation as “debt’s imprisonment”. Kristo, on the other hand, described the arrangement as a “damn good system.”
According to him, it was best for everyone that the pickers don’t borrow money from Thai “gunmen” or “usurers”.
However, according to the prosecutor, Polarica recovered too much money and paid too little for the berries. According to the prosecutor, the criminal benefit received by the company is even more than one million euros.
“It feels incomprehensible”
According to them, the food that was offered to the pickers was inedible. A picture of the kitchen of one of the camps. police preliminary investigation material
The Polarica pickers arrived in Finland in July 2022. They were placed in camps all over Finland. In some of the camps, the living conditions were unacceptable, and they did not meet the requirements of the Health Protection Act.
According to Jukka Kristo, the renovation of accommodation is an “every year thing”. He had not visited all the camps himself, and thus was not aware of the conditions.
When the police told Kristo about the claim that some of the pickers had to sleep in the car due to lack of space and overcrowding, Kristo replied: “It seems incomprehensible.”
“Shitheads”
According to the authorities, the accommodation facilities were not appropriate. police preliminary investigation material
It appears from the KRP’s preliminary investigation that Kristo spoke about the pickers in an understated tone when talking to a Polarica employee on the phone.
– What the hell are they doing with those surveys. Or they’re in the camps now, jelping these bastards who haven’t gotten their accounts in order.
Survey means a person whose task is to help pickers in the search for berry locations. Kristo pointed to the pickers below the minimum wage.
Clogged sink in the toilet of one camp. police preliminary investigation material
During the preliminary investigation, the police asked Kristo what he meant by his sentence.
– Yes, it’s going to be said in a rather rambling way. As I have already stated before, a thousand pickers can accommodate all kinds. These paid surveys help weaker pickers.
A “fucking” Swede
The washing facilities were in an untidy condition in some of the camps. police preliminary investigation material
According to the prosecutor, the berry pickers were paid much less than was initially promised. During the preliminary investigation, the police questioned Kristo about the wages of berry pickers and the price per kilo of berries.
According to Kristo, prices are strongly influenced by the competitive situation: if a Swedish competitor drops prices, it will be seen in Finland as well.
– But (the Swede) is crazy, when he takes it so much cheaper, I’m in danger of getting cranberries in my hand, Kristo described his experience to the police.
Business partner as interpreter
A picture of the kitchen fridge in one camp. police preliminary investigation material
The preliminary investigation protocol also reveals other alarming facts.
In July 2022, the reporter contacted Polarica. He wanted to interview berry pickers. Based on the preliminary investigation, Kristo initially did not want to agree to an interview.
The man’s mind changed when a Thai business partner promised to act as an interpreter. The business partner told Kristo that one of the camps has a picker with a “good attitude”.
According to the business partner, the interview went well. Poimija praised and thanked Polarica for the opportunity he got.
The prosecutor demands a long prison sentence
A picture taken by the police of a cramped and gross toilet. police preliminary investigation material
The prosecutor demands for Jukka Kristo a prison sentence of at least five years for 77 counts of aggravated human trafficking. In the second criminal case, the prosecutor demands a suspended prison sentence for Kristo for aggravated bribery.
It is alleged that Kristo paid bribes to the Board of Directors of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy Olli Sorainen. Kristo paid Sorainen’s child two expensive violins. According to the prosecutor, civil servant Sorainen acted in favor of Polarica and abusing his influence because of the bribe.
Serious human trafficking is dealt with in the District Court of Lapland, bribery in the District Court of Helsinki. They will give their verdict on the issues later.
Food was not properly stored in the kitchens. police preliminary investigation material
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