Christian Pavón (
On September 5, 2023, the trial against Lundin Oil – now called Orrön Energy – began after a very long process that has lasted for decades. The charge is aiding and abetting a gross violation of international law. The former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt sat on the board of Lundin Oil from 2001 to 2006.
The investigation is extensive and runs to 80,000 pages. 270 people have been questioned about the crimes that Lundin Oil is said to be guilty of. The case against Orrön Energy AB is strong.
The allegations include that Lundin Oil/Orrön Energy (previously also Lundin Energy) has displaced people from their areas through threats, exploitation and even outright mass murder of ethnic groups who have obstructed their oil drilling and other oil-related activities.
The prosecution believes that this serious criminal activity took place between 1999 and 2003.
The case is led by 3 prosecutors and this is what Karoline Wieslander says about how well-founded she considers the case to be:
“The main evidence here consists of a large number of civilians who have been subjected to attacks. We will also hear witnesses who have worked with and studied the situation in Sudan, including meeting refugees and hearing their stories.
In addition, we rely on written reports from the area, mainly from the UN and other international organizations, as well as from journalists who have covered the area. Other evidence aims to prove that the defendants contributed to the commission of the international crime.
Here the evidence concerns, among other things, the organization within the company and the internal reporting on the situation in Sudan, as well as the communication with the Sudanese government. In this part, several witnesses linked to the activities and extensive written evidence are invoked.”
The trial is expected to be lengthy and is expected to be completed between December 2025 and February 2026.
References
- Aftonbladet: Bildt tvättar Lundins smutsiga oljepengar (Bildt launders Lundin’s dirty oil money)
- Expressen: Oljedirektörer i rätten – anklagas för krigsbrott (Oil executives in court – charged with war crimes)
- Aklagare.se: Åtal för medhjälp till folkrättsbrott, grovt brott, i Sudan (Prosecution for aiding and abetting violations of international law, serious crime, in Sudan)
- DN: Ledare: Rättegången mot Lundin Oil är redan en historisk seger (The trial of Lundin Oil is already a historic victory)