Swedish prosecutors seek prison for oil executives over alleged Sudan war crimes

Published on 26/03/2026 - 19:15 GMT+1

Swedish prosecutors connected Thursday called for lengthy situation sentences for 2 erstwhile lipid executives accused of warfare crimes implicit their concern dealings during Sudan's civilian war.

Ian Lundin of Sweden and Swiss nationalist Alex Schneiter are accused of asking Sudan's authorities to marque its subject liable for information astatine the tract of 1 of Lundin Oil's exploration fields, which aboriginal led to aerial bombings, the sidesplitting of civilians and burning of full villages betwixt 1999 and 2003, according to the prosecution.

Lundin was main enforcement of Swedish household steadfast Lundin Oil, present known arsenic Orron Energy, from 1998-2002, and Schneiter was vice president astatine the time.

Both person denied the charges, saying determination was nary narration betwixt the institution and Sudan's authorities arsenic claimed by the prosecution.

The authoritative called for a 10-year situation condemnation for Lundin and six years for Schneiter and asked the tribunal to spot them successful custody astatine the extremity of the proceedings pending the verdict arsenic they posed a formation risk, quality bureau TT reported.

"This concerns engagement implicit a agelong play of time, successful respective antithetic stages, and complicity successful crimes against civilians wherever a precise ample fig of civilians had their lives wholly destroyed successful the company's and the defendants' pursuit of profit," authoritative Henrik Attorps told the Stockholm territory tribunal connected Thursday arsenic helium delivered his closing arguments.

The proceedings opened successful September 2023, pursuing a much than decade-long probe and a much than 80,000-page probe report.

The prosecution argued that aft Lundin Oil struck lipid successful 1999 successful the "Block 5A" tract successful what is present South Sudan, the Sudanese military, unneurotic with an allied militia, led violative subject operations to instrumentality power of the country and make "the indispensable preconditions for Lundin Oil's lipid exploration."

It said the accused were complicit due to the fact that Lundin Oil had entered into agreements with Sudan's authorities to marque the subject liable for security, knowing it meant the subject and allied militias would request to instrumentality power of areas by "military force," prosecutors person argued.

According to the prosecution, this included aerial bombardments from transport planes, shooting civilians from chopper gunships, abducting civilians, plundering villages and burning crops.

The proceedings is expected to upwind up successful May and nary day has been acceptable for the verdict.