Under four years, I haven't wanted to talk to the investigators. Then one might wonder why, begins Bella Nilsson when she gets the opportunity to tell freely in court.
She says that she felt the investigators were biased.
I didn't dare talk. It's the first time in four years today that I'm talking, says Bella Nilsson, who has changed her name to Fariba Vancor, with tears in her throat and continues:
Excuse me for getting emotional. But when you've been silent for four years, it feels that way.
Been exposed
The visibly emotional Bella Nilsson also tells that she has felt exposed by the media over the years due to her background.
I've been exposed in the media because of my background for being a stripper. Yes, I've been a stripper. I chose to strip. It was wrong.
She tells that she came to Sweden as a young person after running away from home because her family wanted to marry her off to a man who was much older than her.
I had no family. I didn't want to be a burden to society, I wanted to take care of myself, says Bella Nilsson.
I didn't make good choices, but I did as well as I could.
Objectively about waste
After Nilsson for a few minutes emotionally tells about her personal circumstances and the years before Think Pink, she switches from being emotional to talking very objectively about waste management.
She explains stringently how waste bags work, what sizes are available, and how they are handled. She also informs about how many bags fit in a container and various details about pricing.
The account of the business continues, with breaks for a pause, and after Bella Nilsson has talked about waste and employees for almost two hours, she denies that what she did was criminal.
What have we done wrong? We've followed the law. I've been careful to follow the law, and that's what we've done, says the former CEO of Think Pink.
Avoided photographers
Today's main person arrived just as the guard opened the door to the courtroom. She held up a bundle of papers in front of her to avoid the photographers present getting any pictures of her face.
Several of the defendants will be heard today.
Think Pink was paid to sort waste, but instead, the company dumped hundreds of thousands of tons of waste at 21 locations in Sweden, claims the prosecutor. The waste has, among other things, been left near water protection areas, unprotected stormwater drains, residential areas, and coastal protection areas.
Eleven people are standing trial in the case. Among the other defendants are Bella Nilsson's former husband Thomas Nilsson, with whom she founded the company, and TV profile Leif-Ivan Karlsson.
The prosecution against the eleven people in the Think Pink scandal is the largest environmental crime case to reach a Swedish court. The preliminary investigation consists of around 50,000 pages.
The locations affected by the prosecution are in 15 municipalities. These are Botkyrka, Eskilstuna, Flen, Gullspång, Haninge, Huddinge, Håbo, Laxå, Norberg, Norrtälje, Skövde, Strängnäs, Uppsala, Västerås, and Östhammar.
Five of the defendants are suspected of gross environmental crime. Four of these are also suspected of economic crime.
One person is charged with aiding and abetting gross environmental crime, and the remaining five in the case are suspected of environmental crime of a normal degree.
