Finland's prosecution service has brought several charges in criminal proceedings against the head of a berry processing company, YLE reports.
Vernu Vasunta, chief executive of Kiantama, faces 56 charges of aggravated human trafficking in connection with the treatment of berry pickers recruited from Thailand by one of the largest companies of its kind in Finland. His business partner in Thailand has also been charged with human trafficking.
Berry pickers in various regions of Finland are believed to have been subjected in 2022 to working conditions resembling forced labour, along with other conditions that breached their human rights. Both Vasunta and Kiantama have denied the charges.
“The process has been hard, but as managing director I have sought to comply with Finnish law in everything I do. I have not knowingly taken part in any criminal activity. I have acted in good faith and I am confident that the court proceedings will prove my innocence,” Vasunta said in a Kiantama press statement.
Kiantama's chairman of the board, Matti Sipilä (Matti Sipilä), said that Vasunta still enjoys the full confidence of the board and the owners and will continue in his duties as chief executive.
The charges in the criminal case also concern another Finnish forest berry harvesting and processing company, Polarica. Prosecutors in northern Finland are currently considering whether to bring charges of aggravated human trafficking against the company's former chief executive, Jukka Kristo.