French Bank Found Liable for Funding Genocide, Ordered to Pay Over $20 Million – Altaghyeer NewsPaper

Background

Since the outbreak of the armed conflict in Darfur in 2003, Sudan has witnessed one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century. Hundreds of thousands were killed and millions displaced as part of a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities committed by the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir against Black African communities in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile.

Despite international sanctions imposed on Khartoum since 1997, the regime managed—through a complex financial network—to access the global banking system and finance its war machine. At the center of this network stood the French bank BNP Paribas, which enabled the Sudanese government to access billions of U.S. dollars through its offices in Geneva and Paris, in clear violation of U.S. and European sanctions.

The Historic Verdict

More than two decades later, in October 2025, a federal jury in Manhattan, New York, issued a historic verdict holding BNP Paribas liable for financing Sudan’s genocidal regime and awarded over $20 million in damages to three Sudanese refugees.

The ruling is the first of its kind to hold a global financial institution civilly liable for directly facilitating crimes against humanity. It paves the way for more than 20,000 Sudanese refugees living in the United States to seek billions more in compensation.

Five-Week Trial and Key Findings

The five-week trial before Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York centered on BNP Paribas’s admitted violations of U.S. sanctions. The bank allowed Sudan’s government to move billions of U.S. dollars through its Geneva branch at the height of the conflict.

Plaintiffs argued—and the jury agreed—that the bank’s financial services were the “natural and adequate cause” of the atrocities suffered by victims of ethnic cleansing and displacement.

Compensation Awards

The court awarded the following damages:

– $6.4 million to Abulgasim Abdalla

– $7.3 million to Entesar Osman Kashef

– $6.75 million to Turjuman Adam

While modest compared to the magnitude of the suffering, the verdict represents a symbolic victory for justice and a formal recognition of financial complicity in Sudan’s tragedy.

Statements from the Legal Team

Lead trial attorney Bobby DiCello, partner at DiCello Levitt, stated:

“This verdict is a victory for justice and accountability. Financial institutions cannot turn a blind eye to the consequences of their actions. Our clients lost everything to a campaign of destruction fueled by U.S. dollars—facilitated by BNP Paribas—that should have been stopped.”

Michael Hausfeld, founder and chairman emeritus of Hausfeld, added:

“This case reaffirms the principles of Nuremberg: those who enable crimes against humanity, no matter how powerful, can and will be held accountable. The Sudanese survivors have endured unimaginable horrors, and this is a long-overdue measure of justice.”

Global Implications

Co-lead counsel Kathryn Lee Boyd of Hecht Partners emphasized the broader message:

“This verdict sends a powerful message to global financial institutions: banks and corporations are not above the law. Those who fund regimes of repression will face the consequences.”

A Legal Precedent with Political Weight

The lawsuit, Kashef et al. v. BNP Paribas et al., was filed on behalf of Sudanese refugees who fled violence and persecution across the country. The case establishes a major legal precedent for cross-border accountability and may inspire similar lawsuits against other institutions accused of supporting repressive regimes in Africa and the Middle East.

Legal experts note that “money can be as lethal as weapons when it fuels oppression.”

Background on BNP Paribas and Prior Sanctions

In 2014, BNP Paribas admitted to violating U.S. sanctions on Sudan, Iran, and Cuba, and agreed to pay a record $8.9 billion fine in a criminal settlement. However, the 2025 ruling marks the first civil verdict directly linking the bank to financing genocide and crimes against humanity.

Conclusion

This verdict stands as a milestone in the pursuit of global justice. After decades of pain, displacement, and silence, the voices of Sudan’s survivors have finally been heard in a court of law.

It marks not only the recognition of past suffering but also the beginning of a new era of financial accountability for human rights abuses, where no institution—no matter how powerful—can hide behind its balance sheets.