Swedbank’s former CEO Birgitte Bonnesen was recently sentenced to prison for serious fraud.
Now she is commenting on the incident – for the first time.
– I do not accept being judged for something I have not done, she says to Dagens Juridik.
Just over two weeks ago, it became clear that Birgitte Bonnesen, 68, former CEO of Swedbank, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for serious fraud. The Court of Appeal considered that in 2018 she provided misleading information to the media about Swedbank’s measures against money laundering in Estonia.
Now Bonnesen is speaking out about the indictment and the sentence for the first time, in one interview with Dagens Juridik. The former CEO has always denied wrongdoing – and now she says she refuses to accept the verdict.
– I relate to the reality in which I find myself and that is that the Court of Appeal has sentenced me to prison for something I do not believe I have done and I cannot accept that.
“Was deeply shocked”
She also talks about the feelings after the Court of Appeal’s verdict came and that she had a hard time taking in what had just happened.
– I was deeply shocked, I was devastated and completely incomprehensible. Although my lawyer explained it time and time again, I did not understand that I had been sentenced to prison. I thought I had received a fine of SEK 800.
Freed by the district court
Swedbank’s former CEO, Birgitte Bonnesen, was charged with gross fraud and disclosure of insider information. In January 2023, she was acquitted by the district court, but the prosecution appealed the verdict. In September 2024, she was convicted by the Court of Appeal of gross fraud, but acquitted of the charge of disclosing insider information.