Khaberni - A federal jury in Manhattan, New York, has issued a ruling convicting BNP Paribas of financing Omar al-Bashir's regime in Sudan, with compensations exceeding $20 million for three Sudanese refugees.
According to "The Washington Post," a federal jury in Manhattan, New York issued a historic verdict finding BNP Paribas responsible for funding the Sudanese regime and supporting it during the period of genocide, granting three Sudanese refugees financial compensations exceeding 20 million dollars."
The court awarded compensations to a woman and two men who left Sudan after being displaced and losing their homes and properties, with the compensations amounting to: "$6.4 million for the plaintiff Abdelqasim Abdullah, $7.3 million for the plaintiff Intisar Osman Kasha, and $6.75 million for the plaintiff Tarjuman Adam."
The newspaper added that "this judgment is the first legal precedent holding a global bank directly civilly liable for financing crimes against humanity, opening the door for over 20,000 Sudanese refugees residing in the United States to claim billions of dollars in additional compensations."
Reports mentioned that "despite the international sanctions imposed on Khartoum since 1997, the regime was able through a complex financial network to access the global banking system and fund its war machinery."
It pointed out that "the French bank BNP Paribas allowed the Sudanese government to access billions of U.S. dollars through its offices in Geneva and Paris, in clear violation of U.S. and European sanctions."
In 2014, "BNP Paribas" admitted to violating U.S. sanctions imposed on Sudan, Iran, and Cuba, and agreed to pay a record fine of $8.9 billion as part of a criminal settlement. However, the 2025 ruling will be the first civil judgment directly linking the bank to financing genocide and crimes against humanity.
