Sweden can try Swiss boss Schneiter in landmark corporate crimes case
Lundin Petroleum bosses Alex Schneiter (left) and Ian Lundin (right) are accused of complicity in war crimes in southern Sudan in 1997-2003.
Keystone / Fredrik Sandberg
Sweden’s Supreme Court has ruled that Swiss citizen Alex Schneiter, a former boss at Swedish oil firm Lundin, can be tried in Sweden for alleged “complicity in war crimes” in Sudan.
This content was published on
2 minutes
AFP/jc
Português
pt
A Suécia pode julgar executivo suíço em um caso histórico de crimes corporativos
The court on Thursday threw out Schneiter’s argument that Sweden did not have jurisdiction because he is neither a citizen nor a resident of the Nordic country. It ruled that his connections with Sweden were enough.
Sweden’s government gave agreen light in 2018External link for the Public Prosecutor to charge Schneiter and former Lundin chairman Ian Lundin for assisting suspected crimes in Sudan between 1997 and 2003 by fueling the country’s oil wars in the south. Lundin is a Swedish citizen and resident in Switzerland. Both Schneiter, who was head of exploration at the time, and Lundin deny the allegations.
They are being prosecuted under the principle of “universal jurisdiction”. This allows, under certain conditions, anyone to be prosecuted anywhere in the world for serious international crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes), for which there is no statute of limitations (time limit for prosecution).
NGOs and human rights groups have hailed this as a landmark case. Philip Grant, director of Swiss NGO TRIAL International, which promotes and supports universal jurisdiction cases, tweeted that “to my knowledge, this would mark the first time a corporate actor – here a Swiss national acting as a Swedish oil company executive – would be tried on the basis of universal jurisdiction”.
Hardly any such cases have been brought to date. However, some cases have also been brought in FranceExternal link, notably against executives of the Lafarge cement group, now part of the Swiss company Holcim, for complicity in crimes against humanity in Syria.
More
More
Complicity in crimes against humanity: court upholds charge against Lafarge
This content was published on
A court says Lafarge must face charges of complicity in crimes against humanity over alleged payoffs to Islamic State group during Syria’s civil war.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
BNP Paribas bank accused of complicity in Sudan rights abuses
This content was published on
Victims of rights abuses in Sudan have filed a legal complaint against the French BNP Paribas bank and its Swiss subsidiary.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.