Ericsson’s work license in Iraq suspended
Ericsson headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi government suspended on Thursday the license granted to the Swedish telecom company Ericsson to operate in the country, according to a statement cited by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The director of the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC), Ali Al-Moayad, issued a decision to suspend Ericsson’s license to operate in Iraq, according to a statement issued by the CMC.
The statement illustrated that the decision was made in response to Sweden’s permission to burn a copy of the Holy Quran and the Iraqi flag.
The move also follows the Iraqi government’s decision to expel the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and withdraw the Iraqi charge d’affaires from the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm.
Media outlets mentioned that the Swedish telecom company agreed last March to pay a $206 million fine for breaching its prosecution deal with US authorities by withholding information about its alleged misconduct in Iraq and other countries.
Reports mentioned that Ericsson admitted to accusations of bribery and other wrongdoing in multiple countries and paid a $1 billion fine under a deferred prosecution agreement struck with the US Department of Justice.