US SEC opens bribery probe into Ericsson

US SEC opens bribery probe into Ericsson

The investigation was triggered by the company’s own report about its potential misdoings in Iraq

Ericsson has admitted that the U.S. securities regulator has opened an investigation concerning the matters described in the company’s 2019 Iraq investigation report., according to a report in REUTERS.

The Swedish telecom equipment maker said it was fully cooperating with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and it was too early to determine or predict the outcome of the investigation.

Ericsson disclosed in February that an internal investigation had found it may have made payments to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Iraq – misconduct it said “started at least back in 2011.”

In April, investors openly chastised Chief Executive Borje Ekholm and the board of directors for their handling of the affair.

Not the first time Ericsson has admitted to bribery

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), which fined Ericsson in 2019 over the settlement of another bribery case, is also investigating the company’s handling of the investigation and is expected to fine the company.

As part of that settlement Ericsson had agreed to engage an independent compliance monitor for a period of three years. An SEC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. agencies investigate companies for violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) which governs an American person or company paying money or anything of value to any foreign official for the purpose of obtaining business.

The DoJ essentially handles the criminal aspects of the probe and SEC the civil aspect. When a joint settlement is reached with a company, any fine amount is divided among the agencies.

In 2020, Goldman Sachs Group agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle SEC charges for violating provisions of the FCPA in connection with the Malaysia’s 1MDB bribe scheme.