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The Ericsson List

The inside story of how a telecom giant dealt with terrorists and financed shady deals in pursuit of profits around the globe.

In this investigation

Latest from The Ericsson List

IMPACT

US securities regulator opens probe into Ericsson’s conduct in Iraq

IMPACT

Sweden’s anti-corruption agency launches investigation into suspicious Ericsson payments in Iraq

IMPACT

Angry shareholders sanction Ericsson chiefs over Iraq corruption scandal

MEET THE INVESTIGATORS

Meet the Investigators podcast: Behind the Ericsson List

IMPACT

β€˜Who is responsible?’ Ericsson leaders take tough questions from investors after Iraq revelations

IMPACT

Ericsson changes chief legal officer after corruption settlement breach

IMPACT

Ericsson risks being β€˜uninvestable’ after Ericsson List revelations on ISIS payments and misconduct in Iraq, analysis says

DATA

Nine secret payments revealed in the Ericsson List data 

VIDEO

Watch: Ericsson’s secret deals in Iraq and beyond

Key findings

1
The Ericsson List reveals that the Swedish telecom giant sought permission from the terrorist group known as the Islamic State to work in an ISIS-controlled city and paid to smuggle equipment into ISIS areas on a route known as the β€œSpeedway.”
2
Ericsson made tens of millions of dollars in suspicious payments over nearly a decade to sustain its business in Iraq, financing slush funds, trips abroad for defense officials and payoffs through middlemen to corporate executives and possibly terrorists.
3
The telecom giant relied on politically connected fixers and unvetted subcontractors, sham contracts, inflated invoices, falsified financial statements and payments to β€œconsultants” with nebulous job descriptions as part of its business dealings in Iraq.
4
Ericsson presided over corrupt conduct in Iraq even after it had acknowledged in 2013 that it was cooperating with U.S. authorities investigating bribery allegations elsewhere. The U.S. probe, which does not mention Iraq, resulted in a $1 billion bribery settlement in 2019.
5
Ericsson conducted other internal probes of alleged misconduct in Lebanon, Spain, Portugal and Egypt. In addition, a spreadsheet lists undisclosed company probes into possible bribery, money laundering and embezzlement by employees in Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, China, Croatia, Libya, Morocco, the United States and South Africa.

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