No answers about the blood in the oil
Lundin dismisses every charge as a falsehood
Ian Lundin's defence against charges that he has driven out civilians in the Sudan and used child soldiers is becoming chaotic.
He orders that the microphone is torn from the hands of a critical shareholder, and he shows a propaganda film in which he is presented as Africa's Mother Teresa.
When he flees the Grand Hotel in Stockholm after the AGM, he refuses to answer my question: “Why are you not leaving Sweden?”
Don't get me wrong. I have no interest in driving the Lundin brothers out of the country, but I can't understand why they do not leave. The family's Swedish connections were severed a long time ago, Lundin Petroleum has already moved its headquarters to Switzerland, and its shares have for a year now been double quoted on the Toronto stock exchange precisely as has the mining company Lundin Mining.
But the circus at this year's AGM clearly shows that Ian Lundin does not have the ability to act as a normal Swedish company chairman.
But he dismisses the demand for an independent enquiry into Lundin Petroleum's African business and the accusations of crimes under international law with the argument that an independent preliminary investigation is already underway, led by a Swedish prosecutor with far greater powers than an “independent investigator”.
He gives an assurance that Lundin Petroleum has not been complicit in crimes against the civilian population, that the company has not driven out civilians in order to be able to drill for oil, and that Lundin has not employed child soldiers in Sudan and Ethiopia.
He also shows a propaganda film to the shareholders in which he is presented as the African equivalent of Mother Teresa.
Everything is so clearly choreographed and yet it all comes out wrong.
Such as when he begins this speech defending himself against accusations of crimes under international law by announcing that Lundin's CEO Ashley Heppenstall has been praised as worldwide “oil CEO of the year”.
“I have no flowers, but I can give you a kiss,” says Ian Lundin.
But the worst thing of all was when Kerstin Lundell, author of the much praised book, critical of Lundin, Affärer i blod och olja (“Business in blood and oil”), asked to speak at the AGM when the proposal for an independent enquiry was being discussed. She has bought shares in the company so as to be able to influence Lundin, but her book about crimes under international law was dismissed by Lundin as a falsehood.
Irrespective of who is right, shareholders have the right to express themselves. I have been sitting listening to a number of opinionated individuals at other AGMs, who nevertheless have been allowed to speak. But when Kerstin Lundell started to speak, Ian Lundin interrupted her directly and after a short exchange he ordered a steward take the microphone from her. The steward obeyed orders.
“Why are you so violent towards me,” shouted the writer Kerstin Lundell at Lundin's henchman.
“We will now move to the vote,” whispered Ian Lundin to the chair of the meeting.
The demand for an independent enquiry into Lundin's business in Sudan and Ethiopia came from Folksam, but was booed down at the meeting. When the savings giant's representative Carina Lundberg Markow took the podium and stated that the general public's confidence in Lundin “has been eroded”, several shareholders shouted “no”. The shareholders like Lundin, who has made them rich.
For this reason, it was surprising that as many as 20% of the shareholders actually voted for an independent enquiry. Lundin's ownership of 30% of the shares was decisive.
When the meeting was over, I tailed Ian Lundin as he left Grand Hotel as the question of why he is humiliating the oil company with its Swedish public. Of course he needs Swedish capital, but considering Lundin's fantastic successes in North Sea oilfields, he is not dependent on a life on the Stockholm stock exchange. He leaves without answering the question.
Investigated for crimes under international law
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Since 2010 the international prosecutor's office has been investigating whether Lundin petroleum committed crimes during its time in Sudan from 1997 to 2003. The company has been accused of crimes under international law, but rejects this charge. |
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There were demands for an independent investigation into Lundin's activities in southern Sudan and Ethiopia. But this was voted down at the AGM. |
- Database Search
- Unpaid Debt A comprehensive overview of the role of the Lundin Consortium in the oil war. ECOS calls upon the Swedish, Austrian and Malaysian governments to investigate whether, as a matter of international law, Lundin, OMV and Petronas 'were complicit in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity by others during the period 1997-2003.’ In response, the Swedish Public Prosecutor for International crimes opened a criminal investigation into ‘links between Sweden and the reported crimes’.
- In Depth For more specific information about the Lundin court case please visit the Unpaid Debt dossier.
