By Stine Jacobsen

OSLO, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Former Vimpelcom chief govt Jo Lunder is being held by Norwegian police on suspicion of corruption as a part of a probe into its enterprise in Uzbekistan, police advised Reuters on Thursday.

Authorities within the United States and the Netherlands, the place Vimpelcom has its monetary headquarters, stated final yr they had been investigating the telecoms firm’s Uzbekistan operations. Dutch authorities have stated this associated to alleged corruption.

“Lunder is being held on suspicion of gross corruption linked to Vimpelcom’s investments in Uzbekistan,” Marianne Djupesland, lead prosecutor and head of the corruption instances staff for Norway’s’ Economic Crime Police, advised Reuters.

She stated Norwegian authorities had opened a separate investigation into Vimpelcom’s operations in Uzbekistan they usually had additionally been serving to the Dutch with their investigation.

“We have been assisting authorities in the Netherlands in their investigation … We have not assisted U.S. authorities,” she advised Reuters.

Lunder was apprehended at round 11 pm native time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday at Olso airport by Norwegian police, his lawyer Cato Schioetz advised Reuters. He declined to remark additional.

Schioetz later advised newspaper Verdens Gang that Lunder thought of himself harmless of corruption.

Under Norwegian regulation, police can arrest somebody underneath suspicion of against the law and they’re allowed to get a lawyer to symbolize them. Formal expenses, if they’re to be introduced, come at a later stage. Lunder has not been charged.

Lunder was CEO of Vimpelcom from 2011 till March 2015, following earlier stints as CEO of the corporate from 2001 to 2003 and as chairman of the board from 2003 to 2005.

He is at present chief govt of the Fredriksen Group, an organization controlling billionaire investor John Fredriksen’s holdings in transport agency Frontline, rig agency Seadrill , dry bulker Golden Ocean, fish farmer Marine Harvest and a variety of different companies.

Vimpelcom, which has its headquarters in Amsterdam and is listed in New York, is owned by Norway’s Telenor, which holds 33 p.c, and Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman, whose LetterOne fund owns 56 p.c.

“The Uzbekistan investigation is ongoing and it is not appropriate for us to comment or speculate on the arrest of Vimpelcom’s former CEO, or the investigation,” Vimpelcom stated in an announcement.

“Vimpelcom continues to cooperate fully with the U.S. and Dutch authorities. The company is fully committed to compliance across the Group, which is a top priority for its new management team.” (Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam, writing by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Keith Weir and Jane Merriman)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015.

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