A restaurant entrepreneur with a Chinese background was acquitted of human trafficking charges in Lappeenranta

The human trafficking charge brought against the restaurant owner from Lappeenranta has been dismissed. The court also rejected the prosecutor's secondary claims.

The district court of South Karelia has acquitted the owner of a company that ran several restaurants in Lappeenranta from the human trafficking charge brought against him.

The court also rejected the prosecutor's secondary claims of aggravated harassment and harassment-like employment discrimination.

The verdict of the October trial was handed down today.

Looking for their own solution at the last minute

During the trial, the parties try to resolve the dispute that led to the human trafficking charge themselves by entering into a settlement agreement.

In the settlement agreement, the Chinese man who was in the position of the victim waived all his demands for punishment and compensation against the restaurant entrepreneur. The entrepreneur and his company will pay the victim a total compensation of around 60,000 euros.

The settlement agreement remains in effect regardless of the court's acquittal decision.

The entrepreneur has a significant position in Lappeenranta

Yle has published the name of the restaurateur, because he has a significant business in the locality and his status as an employer was subject to serious criticism even before the trial that has now ended.

The city of Lappeenranta had a contract with the entrepreneur for more than two years to organize restaurant and meeting catering. The contract was terminated in September.

In May, we reported that a large part of the employees of Kolme Kiveä Ravintolat, owned by Pan Yilei, had resigned due to ambiguities regarding the payment of wages and working conditions.

Defense assistant, deputy judge Hanna Riivari commented briefly on the verdict after its publication.

- It is unfortunate that Yilei was branded in the news even before the processing, Riivari says.

The judgment is not binding. The prosecutor has announced that he will say later whether he plans to appeal the sentence.