In a landmark verdict, a New York federal jury on Friday found BNP Paribas SA, France’s largest bank, liable for aiding and enabling genocide committed under former Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, awarding $20 million in damages to three Sudanese refugees.

The decision marks a historic legal precedent, opening the door for tens of thousands of Sudanese survivors living in the United States to pursue potentially billions of dollars in civil recovery. The verdict is one of the first cases in history holding a global financial institution civilly responsible for facilitating a government accused of crimes against humanity.

The Verdict

After a five-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, jurors awarded:

• $7.3 million to Entesar Osman Kashef

• $6.7 million to Abulgasim Abdalla

• $6.75 million to Turjuman Adam

The jury concluded that each plaintiff “proved beyond a preponderant likelihood” that BNP Paribas is liable for its role in the atrocities committed against Black African civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region between 1997 and 2011.

The case was brought in 2016 by U.S.-based Sudanese refugees, following BNP Paribas’ 2015 guilty plea to violating U.S. sanctions by processing billions of dollars in transactions for Sudan, Iran, and Cuba. The bank paid a $9 billion criminal penalty, one of the largest in U.S. history.

Plaintiffs: Bank “Fueled a Campaign of Destruction”

The plaintiffs’ legal team — from DiCello Levitt, Hausfeld LLP, Hecht Partners LLP, and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP — argued that BNP Paribas knowingly operated a “shadow banking system” for al-Bashir’s regime, allowing Sudan to bypass U.S. sanctions and access billions in U.S. dollars used to fund its genocidal campaign in Darfur.

“Our clients lost everything to a campaign of destruction fueled by U.S. dollars that BNP Paribas facilitated and that should have been stopped,” said Robert DiCello of DiCello Levitt, lead trial counsel.
“Today, they have been heard. This is a victory for justice and accountability.”

Michael Hausfeld, co-lead counsel and chairman of Hausfeld, likened the verdict to the post-World War II Nuremberg principles, saying it demonstrated “the power of law to reach across borders and hold even the largest institutions accountable.”

“The Sudanese survivors have endured unimaginable atrocities,” Hausfeld said. “This verdict begins to deliver a long-overdue measure of justice.”

BNP Paribas Denies Responsibility, Plans Appeal

In a statement Friday, BNP Paribas said it would appeal, calling the verdict “clearly wrong” and arguing it rests on a “distortion of controlling Swiss law” and excluded key evidence.

“The verdict is specific to these three plaintiffs, and we strongly believe it should not have broader application beyond this decision,” a spokesperson said. “We believe this verdict should be overturned on appeal.”

Defense counsel Dani James of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP told the jury during trial that BNP Paribas never intended to fund or enable violence, insisting there was a “world of difference between facilitating transactions and contributing to atrocities.”

“The bank is not responsible for causing violence,” James said. “It did not write a check to the al-Bashir regime.”

The Alleged “Shadow Banking System”

According to the plaintiffs, BNP Paribas funneled roughly $20 billion through Sudanese financial networks between 1997 and 2007, even as U.S. sanctions explicitly barred such activity. The plaintiffs argued this financial lifeline allowed al-Bashir’s government to sustain its military campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities in Darfur.

The refugees — now living in the United States — described horrific abuses, including beatings, sexual violence, forced displacement, and the destruction of their villages, all tied to a regime allegedly propped up by access to Western finance.

Global Implications

Legal observers say the verdict could reshape accountability standards for multinational banks and corporations accused of facilitating human rights violations abroad. It may embolden similar claims against financial institutions that continue to do business with sanctioned or abusive regimes.

The case, attorneys said, “sends a powerful message” that banks cannot “turn a blind eye” to the consequences of enabling access to the global financial system for governments accused of genocide or terrorism.

Representation and Case Information

Plaintiffs (Class Counsel):

• Hecht Partners LLP: Kathryn Boyd, David Hecht, Maxim Price, Michael Eggenberger, Kristen Nelson

• Hausfeld LLP: Michael Hausfeld, Scott Gilmore, Amanda Lee-Dasgupta, Claire Rosset, Mary Van Houten, James Gotz, Percy Metcalfe

• DiCello Levitt LLP: Robert DiCello, Adam Levitt, Greg Gutzler, Carrie Syme, Madeline Harding, Kenneth Abbarno

• Zuckerman Spaeder LLP: Aitan Goelman, Cyril Smith

Defendant (BNP Paribas SA):

• Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP: Barry Berke, Dani James, Michael Martinez, Matt Benjamin, David Salant

• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP: Carmine Boccuzzi, Abena Mainoo, Charity Lee

The case is Kashef et al. v. BNP Paribas SA et al., Case No. 1:16-cv-03228, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.