The District Court dismissed the charges, but the Court of Appeal considered that the evidence showed that it was human trafficking.
The Court of Appeal has sentenced an entrepreneur who ran a restaurant in Lahti to conditional imprisonment and compensation for forced labor. The restaurateur kept two people with no language skills, who came to Finland as asylum seekers, working for a small salary, largely without allowances, holidays and additional days off.
The employees lived with the entrepreneur, which was one factor that the Court of Appeal considered to have affected their dependent position on the restaurateur. The convict used violence against the victims and threatened violence and repatriation.
In the spring of 2021, the Päijät-Häme district court dismissed the charges of human trafficking and abuse. According to the Court of Appeal, the district court evaluated the evidence incorrectly, and handed down the sentences for the crimes in question. The human trafficking crimes took place from November 2016 to April 2018 and from May 2017 to October 2017.
The restaurateur must compensate one victim for almost 30,000 euros and the other for almost 90,000 euros in lost wages and allowances. In addition, there will be compensation for suffering, among other things.