Find it difficult to understand that Baksaas not know – Dagbladet.no

In the top of Telenor, and among the Telenor-nominated directors of Vimpelcom, there were several which showed corruption Miss tank. But this information used according to investigators at Deloitte two and a half years to reach CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas.

– I think it’s sad. And hard to understand, says chairman Gunn Wærsted that Baksaas not know.

Yesterday, Deloitte submitted its report after including having undergone 320 000 documents about the case.

Corrupt

In September and October 2011 announced a Telenor employee who was loaned to Vimpelcom that he was seriously concerned that the cooperation Vimpelcom had with the company Takilant was corrupt. This staff is in many ways again as the hero who warned in several directions. But forecasts his never reached until CEO Baksaas.

For this whistleblower was right. In February, Vimpelcom on a settlement with US and Dutch prosecutors in which they admitted to having paid close to one billion crowns ($ 114.5 million) in corrupt payments to Takilant, the company that the Uzbek president’s daughter Gulnara Karimov controls.

Alerted Telenor

30 September 2011 sent the whistleblower the first email. He wrote to CFO Richard Olav Aa he believed cooperation with Takilant was corrupt and that he was not reassured by how Vimpelcom management had responded to his concerns. Aa took the case to the General Counsel Pål Wien Espen, who had the responsibility to ensure that Telenor followed laws and policies.

Thus, two of Baksaas`aller closest associates informed about corruption fears.

Both Aa and whistleblower has told investigators that they discussed notifying Baksaas, but they tell that Cathy said this was not the right way to go. Instead asked Espen that whistleblower took the matter up with the Telenor-appointed directors of Vimpelcom and it did Notifier on 4 October 2011. According to the report rejects Espen he said that corruption should be taken up with Baksaas.

Alerted Vimpelcom

Baksaas was director of Vimpelcom, but had a stay in directorship from 28 June to 5 December 2011. It was exactly during those five months that corruption notification was handled.

Notify Cleaning letter went to the Telenor-nominated directors Ole Bjorn Sjulstad, Kjell Morten Johnsen and Jan-Edvard Thygesen 4 October 2011.

These three are some of Baksaas’nærmeste employees and they have held a number of top positions in Telenor. Two of the three said they did not take the matter up with Baksaas and one of them said to investigators that he did not remember whether he spoke with Baksaas about it or not.

Baksaas told the investigators that he first heard about corruption warning in March 2014.

of the three directors, there are now only Skjulstad working in Telenor.

– I agree Deloitte’s assessment that good control practices had been that Skjulstad had informed Baksaas about varlingssaken when Baksaas also joined the board. But there is still no basis for other criticism than a conversation with Sjulstad about it, says Telenor Director Sigve Brekke told Dagbladet.

He says Skjulstad has learned from the case.

– The core is that Baksaas was not notified by Telenor. Not when he entered the Board of Vimpelcom. Where I am critical. Both Espen and Aa should have gone to Baksaas with the information, says Brekke.

Both CFO Aa Counsel Espen joined Telenor yesterday, after having been suspended since November.

– There is nothing in Vimpelcom report that would suggest that he stops. He does not end because of this matter, says Aas spokesman Hans Geelmuyden.

Espen has not answered Dagbladet inquiry.

It has not Baksaas done, beyond to pockets ingested Dagbladet while he discussed media strategy with advisers.