Sweden has increased its claim against Orrön Energy for alleged historic links to war crimes in Sudan. Orrön is the successor to Lundin Group.
The trial is due to begin on September 5, according to the Swedish Prosecution Authority. The prosecutors now claim 2.38 billion krona ($217.6 million).
The previous claim was 1.39bn krona ($127mn).
Orrön said it “strongly disputes” the prosecutor’s methodology and amount claimed. The company said it does “not see any circumstances in which the claim for forfeiture could become payable as there is no legal basis for this claim and no grounds for allegations of wrongdoing by any former company representative”.
The company went on to say any payment could only be imposed after a final conclusion from the court.
The prosecutor has proposed three different amounts in the past five years, Orrön said.
The company expects the court to provide a full acquittal of the independents and dismissal of the forfeiture claims.
The prosecutors, last week, said the trial would focus on two representatives of Lundin Oil. The two are Ian H Lundin and Alex Schneiter, chairman and CEO respectively of the company.
The alleged wrongdoing took place between 1999 and 2003.
The hearing will take around two and a half years, they said, concluding in early 2026. The prosecution case will be set out from September 7 to November 8, under Stockholm District Court case number: B 11304-14.
Lundin sold off most of the company company in mid-2022 to Aker BP.
Sale risks
Eight NGOs in Sweden filed a complaint with the OECD National Contact Point (NCP) in Norway last year, targeting Aker. The NGOs say the purchaser failed to provide a correct analysis on the risks and it could undermine chances of remediation. The NCP accepted the case in May.
Swedwatch, one of the NGOs, said the sale diminished the prospects of justice for “thousands of people” in Sudan who are living with the “consequences of the civil war [and] are at risk of remaining uncompensated”.
The case focuses on Lundin’s presence in Block 5A. In 1999, the Sudanese armed forces worked in the area to “take control of the area and create the necessary preconditions for Lundin Oil’s oil exploration”, the prosecutors have argued.