The Oulu District Court has convicted three Romanian nationals for their roles in a human trafficking and prostitution operation in Oulu.
Two men were found guilty of aggravated human trafficking, while a woman who assisted them was convicted of aggravated pimping.
The court accepted the prosecution's case and handed the two men prison sentences. Ibris Doreanu received the longest sentence — three years' imprisonment for two counts of aggravated human trafficking. Manolache Marian was sentenced to just over two years in prison.
The woman received a suspended prison sentence. According to the court, she helped arrange clients for the victims and assisted the men in carrying out the offences.
Prosecutors had also sought a rape conviction against one of the men, but the court dismissed that charge due to insufficient evidence.
The victims were three Romanian women aged between 21 and 25.
The District Court found that the women were in a particularly vulnerable position due to their limited education and difficult financial circumstances. Two of the victims also spoke only Romanian.
According to the court, two of the women were lured to Finland with promises of well-paid sex work, while the third was told she would only work in a supporting role.
Instead, the women received only a small share of the money they earned, with most of the proceeds going to the men.
The court was told that when the women objected, the men used threats and violence to force them to continue selling sex.
Over the course of about one month, the three women had more than 100 clients.
The case came to light after one of the victims contacted police while out shopping. Investigators said the men then attempted to flee Oulu towards Finland's eastern border with the two remaining victims.
The defendants denied the charges, arguing that the women had travelled to Finland voluntarily to engage in prostitution.
The District Court issued its ruling last week. The judgment is not yet final and may be appealed.
