Telia to Pay Nearly $1 Billion to Settle Uzbek Bribery Claims
September 21 2017 - 5:24PM
Dow Jones News
By Samuel Rubenfeld
Swedish telecoms firm Telia Company AB agreed to pay nearly $1
billion to U.S. and Dutch authorities to settle allegations that
the company and a subsidiary paid about $331 million in bribes in
Uzbekistan.
Telia, which is partly owned by the Swedish government, said the
resolution brings to an end all known corruption investigations
into the company. It remains part of a broader probe by U.S.
authorities into corruption in Uzbekistan.
Telia agreed on Thursday to pay a total of $965 million in
penalties and fines, the criminal portion of which will be equally
split between the U.S. and Dutch authorities. The total penalty
amount also includes a $457 million disgorgement to the Securities
and Exchange Commission. The Stockholm-based firm entered into a
deferred-prosecution agreement in the U.S. charging the company
with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which
bars the use of bribes to foreign officials to get or keep
business. The subsidiary pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors said Telia and the subsidiary admitted to paying the
bribes to what prosecutors called a "close relative" of the
deceased former Uzbek president, Islam Karimov. That relative has
been identified as his daughter, Gulnara Karimova; Uzbek
authorities said in June she was detained on corruption charges.
Ms. Karimova has previously denied wrongdoing. She couldn't be
reached for comment.
The bribes were paid, prosecutors said, so that Telia could
enter the Uzbek market and the subsidiary could gain telecom assets
and continue operating in the country. The companies admitted they
concealed and structured the bribes through various payments,
including to a shell company that members of management knew was
controlled by Ms. Karimova. The money, prosecutors said, was wired
through New York banks.
"If your securities trade on our exchanges and you use our banks
to move ill-gotten money, then you have to abide by our country's
laws," said Joon Kim, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern
District of New York, in a statement.
The settlement brings an end to an unfortunate chapter in the
company's history, said Johan Dennelind, Telia's president and
chief executive, in a statement. Since 2013, a new board and
management have worked on understanding what happened, remedied it
and sought to regain trust from stakeholders, he said.
"We have come a long way to establish a more sustainable company
with a strong focus on governance and compliance, but it is a
never-ending journey as we aspire to embed this into our culture
making sure that all employees understand the importance of doing
the right thing all the time," said Mr. Dennelind.
"The resolution and related financial sanction that we announce
today is a painful reminder of what happens if we don't," he
said.
The bribery accusations in the broader investigation first
surfaced in 2012, when Swiss authorities named Ms. Karimova in a
corruption probe. SInce then, U.S. and European authorities joined
the investigation. U.S. and Dutch authorities had asked last year
for $1.4 billion in penalties from Telia.
Telia is the second company to settle with U.S. authorities in
the investigation. Dutch telecom VimpelCom agreed in February 2016
to pay $795 million in penalties.
Write to Samuel Rubenfeld at samuel.rubenfeld@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 21, 2017 17:09 ET (21:09 GMT)
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