Lawsuits | First a sentence of more than five years for the rape of a minor, now the Court of Appeal acquitted

Rovaniemi the Court of Appeal rejected the most serious charges in a case where a minor girl brought to Finland illegally was suspected of being raped and a victim of human trafficking.

At the same time, the court ordered the release of a man who was sentenced to five and a half years in prison in Lapland's district court more than a year ago for, among other things, aggravated rape and aggravated human trafficking.

Now Abdalla Razak Zbali only received a sentence for organizing illegal entry. The sentence was suspended for six months, which the Court of Appeal considered to have already been served, since the man had been in prison for more than a year.

The Court of Appeal handled the case behind closed doors, but gave a short public explanation of the verdict.

According to it, the court found it proven that there was a sexual connection between the man and the girl. However, the evidence did not show that the girl was, for example, in a state of fear, unable to defend herself or express her will. Therefore, there was reasonable doubt about the man's guilt, and the Court of Appeal rejected the charge.

Outrageous in the case of human trafficking, the court of appeal found it clear that the girl had been in a dependent position and in an unsafe condition and that the man had transported her to Finland.

However, the charge was dismissed because, according to the court, there were no signs that the girl had been subjected to sexual abuse.

At the same time, the man was freed from tens of thousands of euros in damages and legal costs.

In the same case, another man was also sentenced to fines for organizing illegal immigration in both the district court and the court of appeals.

Correction on Friday 9.2. at 10:41 p.m.: In the caption, the district court was incorrectly written earlier.