- I without work and has no positions in business. It is because of the baseless and misguided accusations by Norwegian authorities, said earlier Vimpelcom CEO Jo Lunder in an emotional speech during the hearing in the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs.
“Sophisticated fraud ‘
He called corruption in Vimpelcom for a “sophisticated fraud” as it was not easy to detect, and consider a voluminous documentation that he has access to in his capacity as indicted in the case, prove that he is innocent.
– No Norwegians have done anything criminal or reprehensible, said Lunder in his introduction before the questioning began.
He says that the same staff in Vimpelcom who came to Telenor with a concern in 2011, also went to the groves personally, and that Lunder then immediately contacted their corporate management about case.
– I said it concern him that worries me.
– Relying on advice
He then got into a US law firm to investigate the matter thoroughly. Also the claim that the president’s daughter in Uzbekistan had received money from Vimpelcom was claimed Lunder investigated.
-They found no basis to claim that. They did not come out of it, he said.
– When this advice came, it is not surprising that a CEO trust it, says Lunder, and explains that he therefore approved the transaction when it came to him in mid-Sept 2011.
Also in 2012, when new information emerged in public, went Lunder and VimpelCom management through the case – and found not then something is wrong.
First at the end of 2013 began Vimpelcom chief Lunder to realize that there were grounds for regarding this as a corruption case, after yet another investigation of a new law firm.
– We were troubled, what is this? Why show up as much information about the conditions that we have not even managed to uncover ?, says Lunder about what happened.
– I think almost this was impossible to detect, says Lunder, who did not believe Telenor could have done something that could have contributed to the corruption brought to light earlier.
“Lucky” disruption
this morning was the Deloitte auditors of Telenor’s involvement in the case who was in the fire.
Ingebret G. Hisdal repeated criticism from Deloitte report that a concern from a whistleblower in 2011 stalled at the CFO and the Legal Director in Telenor.
-Telenor have known this, but it has not come to the CEO’s table, and therefore not to the board, said Hisdal.
Abid Raja (V) found it implausible that then-CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas, because of a half-year «lucky» interruptions Vimpelcom director in 2011, thus not heard about the corruption case.
-As should have us believe that it is credible that Baksaas have not heard anything about this, he asked Hisdal at Deloitte.
Hisdal responded only briefly that interviewees in Telenor has been submitted to the interviews.
– And they have signed, said Hisdal who was evidence to doubt the veracity.
His colleague Anne Helsingeng acknowledged that investigators only have a fragmentary knowledge of what has happened in VimpelCom board, partly because of the SEC’s rules and because Telenor directors of Vimpelcom has confidentiality duty.
She and Hisdal had to endure criticism from Per Olaf Lundteigen of the report in English – “this is not fair arrogant? “- But defended himself with that English is Telenor’s corporate language and report was commissioned in English. Deloitte’s investigation has been questioned because it was commissioned by Telenor, but the two investigators declined to have been subjected to any form of pressure from the company.
Consultant firm’s investigation concluded criticism for the way notifications corruption in Vimpelcom has been handled internally, and that it took too long before the information was disclosed to the former CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Board and industry Minister Monica Mæland.
Anne Helsingeng accounted today for a number of limitations and constraints in Deloitte’s work, partly because of Telenor secrecy in the capacity of VimpelCom board members, and that Vimpelcom is listed and subject to US laws.
Internal strife
Telenor owned VimpelCom corruption payments to a dictator-daughter of Uzbekistan’s background for today’s hearing, where it ahead has emerged significant differences between Conservative representative and deputy chairman of the committee Michael Tetszchner and committee leader Martin Kolberg.
After several earlier hearings on the same case, will Committee promptly investigate how well – or poorly – Telenor peaks have kept economics minister Monica Mæland informed about the case and about Mæland has done what is expected of her.
as great interest is now about the internal strife in SCSCA. There, Michael Tetszchner sharply criticized the committee’s chairman Martin Kolberg’s eagerness to investigate conditions at Telenor.
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