- Takilant Ltd. -- the company with ties to the daughter of Uzbekistan's president -- has been ordered to pay $135M by a Dutch court that found it guilty of accepting bribes from VimpelCom (VIP -2%) and Telia (OTCPK:TLSNY -4.1%).
- That's the latest in a lengthy probe of telecoms that were charged with paying Takilant in exchange for spectrum and business opportunities in Uzbekistan. The company is linked to Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
- The probes in various countries led to VimpelCom agreeing to pay $795M in settlements.
- Takilant was found guilty of bribery and forgery but escaped charges of money-laundering as there was no evidence the telecoms' money came from criminal activity.
- Telia is still under investigation by Dutch prosecutors.