NEW YORK: BNP Paribas said on Thursday that a US judge’s decision to certify an October jury verdict in Sudan-related litigation clears the way for the French bank to pursue an appeal.
A New York jury in October found that BNP had helped Sudan’s former government commit genocide by providing banking services in breach of US sanctions.
The court ordered the euro zone’s largest lender by assets to pay about $20.5 million to three Sudanese plaintiffs who testified about human rights abuses under the rule of former President Omar Al-Bashir.
The bank said it would seek to have the case dismissed on appeal, saying that the trial court had incorrectly applied Swiss law.
On Wednesday, the US judge rejected the French bank’s request to overturn the jury verdict, allowing it to stand and formally enabling the appeals process to begin.
“BNP Paribas welcomes the Court’s decision as it allows the bank to pursue the procedure as planned,” the bank said, adding that the certification clears the path for its appeal.
BNP shares were up 1.9 percent at 0852 GMT, outperforming a broadly flat French stock market.
