A court in Sweden is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Tuesday in the country’s most significant environmental crime trial, involving a self-proclaimed “Queen of Trash” and four co-defendants accused of illegally dumping toxic waste.
The once-renowned waste management company, Think Pink, faces allegations of dumping or burying approximately 200,000 tonnes of waste from the Stockholm area across 21 sites between 2015 and 2020, with prosecutors asserting a deliberate intent to avoid proper processing.
Prosecutors have sought six-year prison sentences for the five individuals, all of whom have denied the charges. The Sodertorn district court is slated to announce its decision at 11:00 AM local time (0900 GMT).
Bella Nilsson, the former chief executive of Think Pink and an ex-stripper who once styled herself as the “Queen of Trash,” is charged with “aggravated environmental crime.” Thomas Nilsson, her ex-husband and the company’s founder, along with Leif-Ivan Karlsson, an eccentric entrepreneur known for a reality show about his lavish lifestyle, who also served as chief executives at different times, face the same charge and potential sentence. “Waste broker” Robert Silversten and Tobias Gustafsson, accused of organizing the waste transportation, are similarly charged.
Bella Nilsson, who has since changed her name to Fariba Vancor, maintained in court that Think Pink “followed the law.” Her lawyer, Thomas Olsson, refuted the prosecution’s claim that the company used falsified documents to mislead authorities, asserting that any wrongdoing was “by mistake.” Bella Nilsson has also consistently claimed to be the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by business rivals.
The prosecution has additionally requested a three-year sentence for an environmental consultant accused of assisting the company in passing inspections, as well as sentences ranging from eight to 18 months for five landowners implicated in the case.
