Us$1.2bil provision by Ericsson to settle US probes

STOCKHOLM: Mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson said its third-quarter results will be hit by a 12 billion Swedish krona (Us$1.23bil) provision it was making for US probes into past corruption allegations.

The investigations, by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), are linked to Ericsson’s compliance with the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Ericsson said.

The Swedish company said it estimated a monetary sanction of Us$1bil, along with additional related costs, to settle the investigations.

“The process to find a resolution is still ongoing,” Ericsson said.

The investigation covers a period ending with the first quarter of 2017 and revealed breaches of Ericsson’s Code of Business Ethics and the FCPA in China, Djibouti, Indonesia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.

Ericsson said the breaches were the outcome of several deficiencies, including the company’s failure to react to red flags and inadequate internal controls.

“We have to recognise that the company has failed in the past,” Ericsson chief executive Borje Ekholm said.

Ericsson said this year it expected the investigation would result in “material financial and other measures”, and Handelsbanken analyst Daniel Djurberg said yesterday that the anticipated fine of Us$1bil was in line with market expectations.

“If the market believes that 1 billion is the end-game, then I don’t think Ericsson shares should drop on this,” Djurberg told Reuters. —