Takilant Found Guilty of Taking Bribes From Telia, VimpelCom
- Amsterdam court to confiscate $135 million from Takilant
- Firm linked to Uzbek leader’s daughter focus of bribery probe
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Takilant Ltd., a Gibraltar-registered company with ties to the daughter of Uzbekistan’s president, was ordered to forfeit $135 million after a Dutch court found the firm guilty of accepting bribes from VimpelCom Ltd. and Telia AB in exchange for wireless frequencies.
The ruling is part of a wider, years-long investigation by U.S., Dutch, Swedish and Swiss authorities into claims that phone carriers VimpelCom, Telia and Mobile TeleSystems PJSC paid bribes in exchange for business and investment opportunities in Uzbekistan. The allegations have focused on Takilant, which is linked to Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of President Islam Karimov, according to court documents and people familiar with the matter.