Minister says seat on TeliaSonera board a possibility

Sweden’s Minister for Financial Markets, Peter Norman, indicated last Thursday that the government could consider taking a seat on TeliaSonera’s board of directors, as he criticised the current board for a lack of expertise in the areas of human rights and anti-corruption. As reported by newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, Norman, whose ministerial portfolio covers state ownership steering, was commenting on the potential fallout from allegations that part of the fee TeliaSonera paid for a 3G mobile licence in Uzbekistan in 2007 effectively went to the family of dictator Islam Karimov as a bribe. Swedish prosecutors are investigating the allegations, denied by TeliaSonera, which has launched its own inquiry to try and clarify the matter. The Swedish government is TeliaSonera’s largest shareholder with a 37.3% stake.