Landmark verdict finds BNP is Liable for Financing Genocide in Sudan

BNP Paribas Held Liable for Financing Genocide in Sudan: Landmark U.S. Jury Verdict Sends Shockwaves Through Global Banking

In a historic ruling on 17 October 2025, a Manhattan federal jury found BNP Paribas, one of Europe’s largest banks, liable for enabling genocide in Sudan through its financial dealings with the regime of Omar al-Bashir.

The verdict marks a significant milestone in the intersection of financial compliance, human rights, and international law.

The jury awarded $20.75 million in damages to three Sudanese refugees, Entesar Osman Kasher, Abulgasim Abdalla, and Turjuman Adam, who suffered horrific abuses, including torture, sexual violence, and mutilation, during Sudan’s genocidal campaign in Darfur.

Their testimonies painted a chilling picture of the atrocities committed between 2002 and 2008, which were allegedly financed in part by BNP Paribas’s banking services.

The Compliance Failure

The plaintiffs argued that BNP Paribas provided critical financial infrastructure, including letters of credit and U.S. dollar clearing services, that allowed Sudan’s government to export oil and other commodities, generating billions in revenue used to fund military operations and ethnic cleansing.

This case follows BNP Paribas’s 2014 guilty plea for violating U.S. sanctions, which resulted in a record $8.97 billion settlement. However, the current civil case goes further, holding the bank directly accountable for the human consequences of its financial facilitation.

Legal and Ethical Implications

The jury concluded that BNP Paribas’s actions were a “natural and adequate cause” of the plaintiffs’ suffering. Lead counsel Bobby DiCello described the verdict as a “victory for justice,” while co-counsel Michael Hausfeld likened the case to the principles established at Nuremberg, emphasising the role of financial institutions in upholding human rights.

BNP Paribas has denounced the verdict and announced plans to appeal, arguing that its operations were legal under European law and that it lacked knowledge of the atrocities.

What This Means for Compliance Professionals.

This ruling sends a powerful message to the global financial sector: compliance is not just about regulatory checkboxes, it’s about ethical accountability. Financial institutions must ensure that their services do not indirectly support regimes or entities involved in human rights violations.

The case also opens the door for thousands of Sudanese refugees to pursue similar claims, potentially exposing BNP Paribas to billions in further liabilities.

Published: 18 October 2025 | Author: Comsure Compliance News Desk.

Sources:

• Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/18/us-jury-finds-french-bank-bnp-paribas-complicit-in-sudan-atrocities
• Reuters via US News https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-10-17/us-jury-finds-bnp-paribas-enabled-sudanese-atrocities
• PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/historic-human-rights-verdict-jury-awards-20m-to-sudanese-refugees-in-landmark-genocide-litigation-302587988.html
• Global Investigations Review https://globalinvestigationsreview.com/just-sanctions/article/bnp-paribas-found-liable-financing-genocide-in-sudan
• The Sudan Times https://thesudantimes.com/sudan/us-holds-bnp-paribas-liable-for-aiding-sudanese-ex-dictator-bashir/
• TotalNews https://totalnews.com/us-jury-holds-bnp-paribas-responsible-for-damages-related-to-its-banking-operations-in-sudan/