84 days of negotiations have passed when the trial in the Think Pink case ended on Thursday in the Attunda district court in Sollentuna.
After a preliminary investigation of 000 pages and testimony in court from nearly 150 people, eleven people risk being sentenced to prison in what is described as the largest environmental crime case handled in a Swedish court.
According to the prosecutors, the defendants are behind the illegal disposal of hundreds of thousands of tons of waste at 21 sites in central Sweden between 2015 and 2020.
Risking several years in prison
In the center stands the former CEO Fariba Vancor (formerly Bella Nilsson), known as "Queen of trash", who, like on previous trial days, on Thursday declined to comment to journalists.
Vancor is the one who risks the longest sentence, along with co-founder Thomas Nilsson, TV profile Leif-Ivan Karlsson and two other people. The three first-named have all been CEOs of Think Pink and the prosecutors want to see six years in prison for all five.
Our assessment is that the maximum prison sentence is eight years, then we have placed ourselves slightly below that, says prosecutor Anders Gustafsson to TT.
In the case, there are also claims for damages totaling 260 million kronor. In the event of a guilty verdict, it will be the Enforcement Authority's task to try to recover the money.
But it is extremely high amounts and I realize that it can be hard to get everything in practice.
Fariba Vancor and the other defendants deny any crime and want to be acquitted completely. Vancor's lawyer Thomas Olsson says to TT that the intention has always been to conduct a serious business.
If there have been any mistakes in the business, it is on an individual level. That is, it may have been mistakes from individual actors, but it has not been something that the client has been aware of.
No crimes
According to the defense, no environmental crimes have been committed at all.
Many of the disadvantages that have been highlighted are such that occurred after our clients were arrested and prevented from continuing the business.
The prosecutor's claim for six years in prison thus lacks grounds, Olsson believes.
The prosecutor's side has tried to create the largest environmental crime case in Swedish history. The problem is that they have drawn up a map that has very poor anchorage in reality.
The verdict will be delivered on June 17.
The charges against the eleven people in the Think Pink scandal are the largest environmental crime case that has ended up in a Swedish court. The preliminary investigation consists of approximately 50,000 pages and nearly 150 people have been heard during the trial.
The charges concern alleged illegal dumping of hundreds of thousands of tons of waste at 21 sites in central Sweden between 2015 and 2020. The waste, mainly construction and demolition waste, was supposed to be sorted but was instead crushed and left on site or buried.
It has, among other things, been left near water protection areas, unprotected stormwater wells, residential areas, and protected coastal areas. The waste has been hazardous both for the environment and for human health, according to the prosecutors.
Five of the defendants are suspected of gross environmental crimes. Four of these are also suspected of economic crimes. One person is charged with aiding and abetting gross environmental crimes and the remaining five in the case are suspected of environmental crimes.
The 21 sites are located in 15 municipalities: Botkyrka, Eskilstuna, Flen, Gullspång, Haninge, Huddinge, Håbo, Laxå, Norberg, Norrtälje, Skövde, Strängnäs, Uppsala, Västerås, and Östhammar.
