Helsinki District Court convicts Olli Sorainen for aggravated bribery involving Jukka Kristo

The Helsinki District Court has reached a decision regarding the bribery case involving government advisor Olli Sorainen. According to reports, Sorainen was convicted of aggravated bribery. State Prosecutor Mari Mattila requested a suspended prison sentence for Sorainen related to the serious bribery offense. Additionally, for Jukka Kristo, the former CEO of Polarica Marjanhankinta Oy, the prosecutor also sought a suspended sentence for aggravated bribery.

The prosecutor asserted that Kristo engaged in bribing Sorainen in relation to the procurement of two violins for Sorainen’s child. The value of the bribe was estimated at €7,500. Sorainen solicited Kristo or his company to pay for the violins between 2019 and 2022. During the time of the violin acquisitions, Kristo served as the CEO and chairman of the board for Polarica Marjanhankinta Oy, as well as the CEO of Polarica Ab, the parent company.

The prosecution claimed that Kristo’s company benefited from Sorainen’s assistance concerning the allocation of berry pickers’ quotas, which was significant for the company’s operations. The defense argued that the violin purchases constituted sponsorship, with Sorainen describing it as a “usage rights agreement.”

Mari Onkamo, the chairwoman of Polarica’s board, is facing charges of aiding and abetting in the aggravated bribery incident, while all defendants have denied the allegations.

Additionally, Jukka Kristo has been implicated in a separate legal proceeding at the Lapland District Court, facing charges requiring a minimum five-year prison sentence for 77 counts of serious human trafficking. Kristo has denied these charges as well.