The federal jury in Manhattan ordered BNP Paribas to pay a combined $20.5 million to three Sudanese plaintiffs who testified about human rights abuses perpetrated under former President Omar al-Bashir’s rule.
Lawyers for the three plaintiffs, who now reside in the US, said the verdict opens the door for over 20 000 refugees in the US to seek billions of dollars in damages from the French bank.
“Our clients lost everything to a campaign of destruction fueled by US Dollars, which BNP Paribas facilitated and that should have been stopped,” said Bobby DiCello, a Lawyer for the plaintiffs.
A BNP Paribas Spokesperson said the verdict should be overturned on appeal, adding that the bank believes it is specific to the three individual plaintiffs and should not have broader application.
“BNP Paribas believes that this result is clearly wrong and there are firm grounds to appeal the verdict, which is based on a distortion of controlling Swiss law and ignores important evidence the bank was not permitted to introduce,” the Spokesperson said.
–Reuters–
