Norway Announces Bribery Enforcement Action Concerning Conduct in Congo
As highlighted in this prior post, in April 2025 PetroNor E&P ASA (an Africa-focused independent oil and gas exploration and production company listed in Norway) announced the closure of a DOJ investigation regarding allegations of corruption – while also noting that an investigation by law enforcement in its home country was still ongoing.
Økokrim, a law enforcement agency in Norway, recently announced bribery charges against a wholly owned subsidiary of Petronor E&P ASA and two individuals in connection with a bribery scheme in the Republic of Congo.
According to the release, “the bribes mentioned in the indictment are linked to the President of Congo and his close family members, and the value of the bribes is particularly high.”
The release further states:
PetroNor Announces Closure Of DOJ Investigation
As highlighted here, in early 2022 PetroNor E&P ASA (an Africa-focused independent oil and gas exploration and production company listed in Norway) disclosed:
“PetroNor E&P ASA has previously announced that the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime in Norway (Økokrim) in December 2021 opened investigations into criminal charges and allegations of corruption brought against individuals related to the Company, namely its previous CEO and his business companion who together hold shares in the Company through their holding companies. [See here] There are no further updates in relation to the investigations against these individuals.
Scrutiny Updates
Ericsson
In connection with the ongoing saga of Ericsson (see here for a recent post), the company recently disclosed:
“We are currently engaging with the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the breach notices it issued relating to the Deferred Prosecution Agreement. The resolution of these matters could result in a range of actions by DOJ, and may likely include additional monetary payments, the magnitude of which cannot at this time be reliably estimated. As this process is ongoing, we remain limited in what we can say about the historical events covered in the Iraq investigation and our ongoing engagement on the matter. We are fully committed to co-operating with the DOJ and our work to further strengthen our Ethics and Compliance program, controls and our culture remains a top priority. It was actually our improved compliance program that allowed us to identify the misconduct in Iraq that started at least back in 2011.”