Former Ninjas in Pyjamas owners will have to stand trial for accounting violations.

Esports legend Emil ”HeatoN” Christensen – who is one of the former owners that will face judgment – denies the allegations.

– This happened a long time ago and the operations with Ninjas in Pyjamas won’t be affected, the former NiP owner tells Aftonbladet Esport.

The former owner of now bankrupt company Stockholm E-Sport Produktion AB stand accused for accounting violations. According to the prosecution those formerly responsible for the everyday operations of the company who also paid Ninjas in Pyjamas players’ salaries failed to deliver a financial statement to the auditor who, after the aforementioned documents never arrived, notified the authorities.

According to the pre-trial hearing Stockholm E-Sport Production AB failed to pay employment tax for the players on the Ninjas in Pyjamas squad, a duty that lies in the hands of the employer. Emil ”HeatoN” Christensen, one of the three owners, says in interrogation with the police that he acted in good faith and that it was another owner who missed out on all the duties in terms of managing the company finances.

Ahead of the bankruptcy, the NiP players as a team, where transfered to a newly created company called Ninjas in Pyjamas Gaming AB, owned mainly by Diglife. If the accused are convicted they face either fines or jail up to a maximum of six months. If the crime is deemed severe, the former owners could face six years in jail.

The other owner who also stand accused have, according to the pretrial hearing admitted to the accounting violations yet emphasises that he had no intention to commit fraud. He also state that he believe that the two owners both had responsibility in managing the company. Also, the second owner says in a interrogation with the authorities that the third owner took no part in what transpired in the company.