In February 2019, SVT's Uppdrag review was able to reveal extensive suspected money laundering in Swedbank as well.

After the disclosure, Swedbank's share fell by just over 20 percent, corresponding to approximately SEK 50 billion.

The Ecocrime Authority started a preliminary investigation and in January this year, chief prosecutor Thomas Langrot brought charges against Birgitte Bonnesen for gross fraud or gross market manipulation.

According to the prosecutor, Birgitte Bonnesen allegedly spread misleading information about Swedbank's measures to prevent, detect, prevent and report suspected money laundering in the bank's Estonian operations.

She is also charged with unauthorized disclosure of insider information because she informed the bank's largest owner of the Task Force's upcoming disclosure before the information became public to everyone.

Fell on the stock market

The background to the prosecution is the statements that Birgitte Bonnesen made in the media and to investors during the fall of 2018 until February 2019. It was shortly after Danske Bank published an audit report that showed extensive suspected money laundering in the bank's Estonian operations.

Many then asked themselves the question whether other Scandinavian banks with operations in the Baltics - including Swedbank - could have similar problems.

Concerns that the money laundering scandal would spread caused bank shares to fall on the stock market.

In several interviews, Birgitte Bonnesen assured that Swedbank did not have the same problems as Danske Bank.

Denies crime

Birgitte Bonnesen denies wrongdoing.

Both she and her lawyer Per E Samuelson have declined an interview before the trial, but Per E Samuelson has said in a previous interview in SVT's Aktuellt that the trial will be Birgitte Bonnesen's chance for revenge and to explain what really happened in the fall of 2018.

- What she is talking about is a comparison with how it looked in the fall of 2018 in Swedbank compared to what had been published about Danske Bank.

The trial is unique in several respects: On the one hand, it is the first time that a former CEO of one of the major banks has been put on trial, and on the other hand, it is very unusual to be charged with fraud.

According to information from the Ecocrime Authority, this is the third swindling prosecution in the last ten years.

The trial is expected to last eight weeks.

If Birgitte Bonnesen is convicted, she risks imprisonment for between six months and six years.