Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten

Abstract In recent years, several Swedish companies have been accused in the media, by NGOs, and via legal proceedings of engaging in criminal activities. Two of these companies, TeliaSonera and Lundin Petroleum have been the focus of substantial public attention. During the years following the reve...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Janne Flyghed, Isabel Schoultz
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: De Nordiske Kriminalistforeninger 2019-12-01
Series:Nordisk Tidsskrift for Kriminalvidenskab
Online Access:https://tidsskrift.dk/NTfK/article/view/124795
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841555037494444032
author Janne Flyghed
Isabel Schoultz
author_facet Janne Flyghed
Isabel Schoultz
author_sort Janne Flyghed
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In recent years, several Swedish companies have been accused in the media, by NGOs, and via legal proceedings of engaging in criminal activities. Two of these companies, TeliaSonera and Lundin Petroleum have been the focus of substantial public attention. During the years following the revelations that TeliaSonera, a partly state owned telecommunications company, had committed bribery offences in Central Asia, the affair went from a public scandal in Sweden to a legal process in Sweden and abroad. Lundin Petroleum, a family owned oil company accused of participating in crimes against humanity in Sudan, has continuously denied the accusation by using a variety of denials and neutralizations. The current paper analyzes the strategies employed by these two businesses when defending themselves against allegations of criminal acts. Drawing on Stanley Cohen’s (2009) theoretical work on processes of denial and neutralization techniques, we have identified four main techniques used by the two companies to deflect allegations of criminal wrongdoing: literal denial; denial of knowledge; condemning the condemners; and appealing to a higher loyalty. In addition, we identify how the corporations emphasise their “Nordic values” by linking into a post-colonial discourse and justify their behaviour by relativising it. The article contributes to the discussion of neutralization strategies by pointing out the importance of the context in which a defence takes place.
format Article
id doaj-art-c0470ff01cee428fb450958d3d1d62a0
institution Kabale University
issn 2446-3051
language Danish
publishDate 2019-12-01
publisher De Nordiske Kriminalistforeninger
record_format Article
series Nordisk Tidsskrift for Kriminalvidenskab
spelling doaj-art-c0470ff01cee428fb450958d3d1d62a02025-01-08T07:29:37ZdanDe Nordiske KriminalistforeningerNordisk Tidsskrift for Kriminalvidenskab2446-30512019-12-01106329731410.7146/ntfk.v106i3.124795118019Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontextenJanne FlyghedIsabel SchoultzAbstract In recent years, several Swedish companies have been accused in the media, by NGOs, and via legal proceedings of engaging in criminal activities. Two of these companies, TeliaSonera and Lundin Petroleum have been the focus of substantial public attention. During the years following the revelations that TeliaSonera, a partly state owned telecommunications company, had committed bribery offences in Central Asia, the affair went from a public scandal in Sweden to a legal process in Sweden and abroad. Lundin Petroleum, a family owned oil company accused of participating in crimes against humanity in Sudan, has continuously denied the accusation by using a variety of denials and neutralizations. The current paper analyzes the strategies employed by these two businesses when defending themselves against allegations of criminal acts. Drawing on Stanley Cohen’s (2009) theoretical work on processes of denial and neutralization techniques, we have identified four main techniques used by the two companies to deflect allegations of criminal wrongdoing: literal denial; denial of knowledge; condemning the condemners; and appealing to a higher loyalty. In addition, we identify how the corporations emphasise their “Nordic values” by linking into a post-colonial discourse and justify their behaviour by relativising it. The article contributes to the discussion of neutralization strategies by pointing out the importance of the context in which a defence takes place.https://tidsskrift.dk/NTfK/article/view/124795
spellingShingle Janne Flyghed
Isabel Schoultz
Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten
Nordisk Tidsskrift for Kriminalvidenskab
title Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten
title_full Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten
title_fullStr Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten
title_full_unstemmed Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten
title_short Företags försvar vid anklagelser om brott – betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten
title_sort foretags forsvar vid anklagelser om brott betydelsen av den nordiska kontexten
url https://tidsskrift.dk/NTfK/article/view/124795
work_keys_str_mv AT janneflyghed foretagsforsvarvidanklagelserombrottbetydelsenavdennordiskakontexten
AT isabelschoultz foretagsforsvarvidanklagelserombrottbetydelsenavdennordiskakontexten