It was in February 2019 that the Swedish Environmental Crime Agency decided to initiate a preliminary investigation against Swedbank regarding suspicion of unauthorized disclosure of inside information.
On Tuesday, the news came that the bank's former CEO Birgitte Bonnesen is being prosecuted.
In the first place, the charge concerns gross fraud, in the second place gross market manipulation.
Unni Jerndahl, press manager at Swedbank, says that the prosecution means that it is nearing an end in a "painful chapter in the bank's history".
- The prosecution itself is not positive, but with this the process will continue and the persons concerned and the bank can begin to move towards a conclusion in the matter, says Unni Jerndahl, press manager at Swedbank, to SVT Nyheter.
"Can not guarantee"
At least SEK 40 billion was channeled between suspicious accounts in Swedbank and Danske Bank in the Baltics between 2007 and 2015, revealed SVT's Assignment Review 2019. According to Unni Jerndahl, Swedbank has taken several measures to counter money laundering in the Baltic part of the business.
- We are constantly working to counter money laundering and have invested heavily in expertise, processes and routines and established a new governance model in the area.
But there is no bank that can guarantee that it will never happen.
However, we should be able to detect and report it.
Then it is the judiciary that decides whether there has been money laundering or not.
Swedbank has decided not to make any claim for damages against Birgitte Bonnesen.