The Court of Appeal finds that Bonnesen provided misleading information in interviews with Svenska Dagbladet and TT that there were no suspected links to money laundering in the bank's operations.
"The information has been intended to influence the assessment of the Swedish bank in economic terms and thereby cause damage," writes the Svea Court of Appeal in a press release.
Bonnesen stated, among other things, in the autumn of 2018 that she was completely certain that there was no money laundering in Swedbank's operations in the Baltic region.
The Court of Appeal's conclusion is that two of the statements were misleading, says Court of Appeal Judge Sven Johannisson at a press conference.
"Well-informed"
The court finds that Bonnesen was aware of what was going on within the bank and believes that the actions involved a "significant risk" for both small savers and professional investors.
The Court of Appeal also believes that what Bonnesen said in interviews followed the communication plan outlined by the bank.
The CEO was well-informed about the investigations conducted by the bank and that there were transactions that were suspicious from a money laundering perspective, says Sven Johannisson.
"Few consequences"
Prosecutor Ted Murelius tells TT that he is pleased with the verdict.
What do you think it will have for consequences that Bonnesen was actually convicted?
It will likely have quite significant consequences. Above all, when it comes to listed companies and their communication to the market. When it comes to transparency, that those who receive information should not be misled by what is communicated.
When it comes to the sentence length, he is, however, more critical.
We demanded a sentence of at least two years and thought that there were reasons for it, but the Court of Appeal apparently did not share that view.
After SVT's "Mission: Investigation" revealed in 2019 that Swedbank may have been used for money laundering in the Baltic region, Bonnesen was fired from the major bank.
In 2022, she was charged with spreading misleading information about Swedbank's measures against money laundering in Estonia. The charge has not concerned money laundering itself, but rather Bonnesen's communication about what she knew as the highest executive in charge of the operations.
Swedbank: Not about us
Swedbank does not want to comment on the verdict further:
"We have seen that Birgitte Bonnesen has been convicted by the Svea Court of Appeal. Swedbank is not part of this legal process, it exclusively concerns the bank's former CEO, so we refrain from commenting on the verdict itself," writes the press department in a comment.
Birgitte Bonnesen has consistently denied all allegations.
