Focus on the BIG picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025
Outside the box.
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Three United States-based Sudanese plaintiffs awarded over twenty million dollars in damages as precedent-setting judgment targets global bank’s role in Darfur era.
A federal jury in Manhattan has found that BNP Paribas S.A., France’s largest bank, is liable for aiding the government of Sudan in committing atrocities by violating U.S. sanctions and providing financial services that facilitated access to the American payments system.
The verdict, delivered on October 17, 2025, awarded a total of about US$20.5 million to three U.S.-resident Sudanese plaintiffs displaced during mass violence under the regime of Omar al‑Bashir.
Each plaintiff was awarded amounts ranging from approximately US$6.7 million to US$7.3 million following roughly four hours of juror deliberation.
The claims asserted that BNP Paribas helped give Sudanese authorities access to the U.S. financial system between 2002 and 2008, thereby enabling oil revenues and weapon purchases used in the Darfur conflict and elsewhere.
BNP Paribas says the decision is “clearly wrong” and plans to appeal, contending that key evidence was excluded and that Swiss law was misapplied in the judgment.
The bank maintains it did not knowingly facilitate human rights abuses, and it argues Sudan had other sources of funding independent of its role.
The case has been described as a “bellwether” for a broader class action of more than 20,000 U.S.-based Sudanese refugees who allege the bank’s conduct contributed to forced displacement, torture, and other abuses tied to Sudan’s government between 1997 and 2011.
Legal analysts suggest that if the class action proceeds, BNP Paribas could face liabilities in the low-to-mid billions of dollars.
This verdict follows the bank’s 2014 plea agreement in which it admitted to processing billions of dollars in transactions for Sudan, Iran and Cuba and paid a near-US$9 billion penalty.
The new ruling marks one of the first instances in which a global bank has been held civilly liable via jury verdict for its indirect role in alleged mass atrocity financing.
For the plaintiffs, the award is a significant milestone in their pursuit of accountability and compensation.
For the banking industry, the judgment signals heightened risk of civil liability for institutions that facilitate financial flows for governments engaged in state-sponsored violence.
BNP Paribas’s next step is an appeal that may determine whether this precedent expands beyond the three individual plaintiffs to the broader certified class of refugees.
The verdict, delivered on October 17, 2025, awarded a total of about US$20.5 million to three U.S.-resident Sudanese plaintiffs displaced during mass violence under the regime of Omar al‑Bashir.
Each plaintiff was awarded amounts ranging from approximately US$6.7 million to US$7.3 million following roughly four hours of juror deliberation.
The claims asserted that BNP Paribas helped give Sudanese authorities access to the U.S. financial system between 2002 and 2008, thereby enabling oil revenues and weapon purchases used in the Darfur conflict and elsewhere.
BNP Paribas says the decision is “clearly wrong” and plans to appeal, contending that key evidence was excluded and that Swiss law was misapplied in the judgment.
The bank maintains it did not knowingly facilitate human rights abuses, and it argues Sudan had other sources of funding independent of its role.
The case has been described as a “bellwether” for a broader class action of more than 20,000 U.S.-based Sudanese refugees who allege the bank’s conduct contributed to forced displacement, torture, and other abuses tied to Sudan’s government between 1997 and 2011.
Legal analysts suggest that if the class action proceeds, BNP Paribas could face liabilities in the low-to-mid billions of dollars.
This verdict follows the bank’s 2014 plea agreement in which it admitted to processing billions of dollars in transactions for Sudan, Iran and Cuba and paid a near-US$9 billion penalty.
The new ruling marks one of the first instances in which a global bank has been held civilly liable via jury verdict for its indirect role in alleged mass atrocity financing.
For the plaintiffs, the award is a significant milestone in their pursuit of accountability and compensation.
For the banking industry, the judgment signals heightened risk of civil liability for institutions that facilitate financial flows for governments engaged in state-sponsored violence.
BNP Paribas’s next step is an appeal that may determine whether this precedent expands beyond the three individual plaintiffs to the broader certified class of refugees.
