The Ericsson List

Illustration of Lady Justice accepting cash from businesspeople

ACCOUNTABILITY

As US-style corporate leniency deals for bribery and corruption go global, repeat offenders are on the rise

An ICIJ analysis finds a surge in closed-door non-prosecution agreements, with more governments allowing companies to pay to settle cases. But deep-pocketed firms keep breaking the law.

By Sydney P. Freedberg

Dec 13, 2022

Photo of Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm in front of an Ericsson sign

IMPACT

Ericsson facing ongoing probes and fallout months after ICIJ revealed new corruption breach

By Dean Starkman

Dec 14, 2022

THE ERICSSON LIST

Leak exposes Ericsson’s secret dealings with ISIS amid Iraq corruption spree

By Sydney P. Freedberg

Feb 27, 2022

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 “Speedway.”
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.
The telecom giant relied on politically connected fixers and unvetted subcontractors, sham contracts, inflated invoices, falsified financial statements and payments to “consultants” with nebulous job descriptions as part of its business dealings in Iraq.
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.
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.