BNP Paribas pays $8.9bn for Sudan sanctions breaches
Source: ft.com
- BNP Paribas pleads guilty to US criminal charges over $880 million in sanctions-breaking trades with Sudan.
- The French bank hid transactions for Sudan's weapons procurement arm from 2002 to 2012, paying fines totaling $18.9 billion globally.
- This marks the biggest US sanctions case for a European bank, forcing BNP to overhaul compliance and face reputational damage.
BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, admitted to US criminal charges for deliberately evading sanctions by processing payments for Sudan, a country under US restrictions due to terrorism links. The bank worked with Sudan's Military Industry Corporation, which bought weapons, hiding over $880 million in deals from 2002 to 2012. US authorities hit BNP with a $8.9 billion penalty, part of $18.9 billion in total global fines, because the scheme undermined efforts to isolate rogue states. Readers shou