Ericsson Agrees to Pay $1 Billion in Bribe Case -- WSJ
December 07 2019 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Dave Michaels
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (December 7, 2019).
WASHINGTON -- Telecom-equipment maker Ericsson AB agreed to pay
more than $1 billion to settle U.S. allegations that it conspired
to make illegal payments to win business in five countries.
The settlement includes a $520 million criminal penalty and $540
million in illicit profits that must be disgorged, the U.S. Justice
Department said Friday. A subsidiary of the Swedish company,
Ericsson Egypt Ltd., pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to
conspiracy to violate antibribery laws.
Ericsson AB said Thursday that it expected a previously
announced provision of $1.2 billion would cover fines and other
costs related to the probe. An attorney for Ericsson declined to
comment.
Ericsson entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement with
prosecutors requiring it to retain a compliance monitor for three
years and to cooperate in related probes.
The Justice Department said Friday the wrongdoing occurred from
2000 to 2016 in Djibouti, China, Vietnam, Kuwait and Indonesia.
In a separate complaint, the Securities and Exchange Commission
said Ericsson subsidiaries won business worth about $427 million by
using third parties to bribe officials in Saudi Arabia, China and
Djibouti.
In Djibouti, about $2.1 million in bribes were paid to
high-ranking government officials to win a contract with a
state-owned telecommunications firm, prosecutors said. The payments
were facilitated through a sham contract with a consulting company
and the use of fake invoices, U.S. authorities said. Ericsson's
Egypt subsidiary oversaw the Djibouti operations.
In China, Ericsson's subsidiaries were responsible for tens of
millions of dollars paid to agents, consultants and service
providers, "a portion of which" was funneled to an account that
funded gifts, travel and entertainment for overseas officials,
prosecutors said.
"Ericsson's corrupt conduct involved high-level executives and
spanned 17 years and at least five countries, all in a misguided
effort to increase profits," said Assistant Attorney General Brian
Benczkowski.
Steve Peikin, the SEC's co-director of enforcement, said the
case represented an "egregious bribery scheme" that involved "slush
funds and funneling money through sham intermediaries."
The monetary sanctions are among the highest ever imposed by the
U.S. government for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act. Last year, the Brazilian oil company Petrobras agreed to pay
more than $1.7 billion to resolve claims levied by the Justice
Department and the SEC, although much of that money went to
Brazilian authorities and investors who filed a class-action
lawsuit.
Write to Dave Michaels at dave.michaels@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 07, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
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