Supported
The cited record supports the material proposition.
The US Department of Justice said on 21 September 2017 that Telia and its Uzbek subsidiary Coscom agreed to pay more than US$965 million over bribes paid to win business in Uzbekistan.
- About
- Telia Company AB
- Claim made by
- US Department of Justice, regulator statement
- Published
- 21 September 2017
- Evidence score
- 95 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The DOJ release states the combined penalty, the deferred prosecution agreement for Telia and the guilty plea and sentence of CoscomS1. It says the companies admitted paying about US$331 million in bribes to an Uzbek government official and sets out the Dutch criminal penalty. The SEC release states the disgorgement order and describes payments of at least US$330 million to a shell companyS2. Telia's own release confirms the total and the Coscom pleaS3. The DPA rests on admissions by the company. The SEC order is a settled administrative order. The record does not name the official in the passages quoted here.
Current procedural position
Deferred prosecution agreement for Telia Company AB and guilty plea with sentence for Coscom LLC in the Southern District of New York, both announced on 21 September 2017S1. SEC order with disgorgement of the same dateS2.
Record supporting the assessment
agreed to pay a combined total penalty of more than $965 million
Telia entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in connection with a criminal information filed today
Coscom pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Judge Daniels on a one-count criminal information
paid approximately $331 million in bribes to an Uzbek government official
Telia consented to the SEC’s order requiring the company to pay $457 million in disgorgement
Conflicting or limiting record
No record located that conflicts with this assessment.
Evidence score: 95 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of Telia Company AB. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 30 | 30 | DOJ and the SEC are the prosecuting and enforcement authorities. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 20 | 20 | The releases state the amounts, the agreement and the plea. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 14 | 15 | The SEC release and Telia's own release agree on the core facts. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 13 | 15 | The DPA and plea are concluded resolutions, though the DPA terms were not read in full. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 8 | 10 | Searches found no later change to the resolution as of October 2026. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 10 | 10 | Both agency releases are public. |
| Total | 95 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- United States v. Telia Company AB and United States v. Coscom LLCUS Department of Justice and US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Criminal. Not published.Stage: Deferred prosecution agreement for Telia and guilty plea with sentence for CoscomS1
- DPA entered and Coscom sentenced on a one count informationS1
- In the Matter of Telia Company ABUS Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulatory. Not published.Stage: Settled administrative order
- Order requiring US$457 million in disgorgementS2
Responses
- Telia Company AB, 21 September 2017: Telia's then CEO called the sanction a painful reminder of what happens if the company does not do the right thing.S3
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Supported.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S1Tier A Telia Company AB and Its Uzbek Subsidiary Enter Into a Global Foreign Bribery Resolution of More Than $965 Million for Corrupt Payments in UzbekistanUS Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Regulator press release. 21 September 2017.Supports the DPA, the Coscom plea, the admitted payments and the amounts. It gives no docket number.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S2Tier A Telecommunications Company Paying $965 Million For FCPA ViolationsUS Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulator press release. 21 September 2017.Supports the SEC disgorgement order and the description of payments to a shell company.
- S3Tier B Telia Company reaches a global settlement with the authorities regarding Uzbekistan investigationTelia Company AB. Company statement. 21 September 2017.Company account of the settlement and of the then open Swedish case. It does not report later Swedish rulings.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
Other claims about Telia Company AB
- Supported82Swedish courts acquitted three former Telia executives of bribery over Uzbekistan in 2019, and the appeal court upheld the acquittals in February 2021.Press report, 4 February 20215 records citedBribery
- Outdated87Telia said in September 2017 that the Swedish investigation was still ongoing and that the company may be subject to disgorgement proceedings in Sweden.Company statement, 21 September 20174 records citedCorporate status