Bereket Afevork (Afework Bereket)

Biography

2021: Payment of bribes to officials in the amount of $2.1 for state contracts

On September 8, 2021, it was reported that one of Ericsson's managers gave officials large bribes for state contracts. We are talking about a 53-year-old citizen of Ethiopia and Sweden, Afevork Bereket. He, as the investigation established, helped in paying bribes worth $2.1 million to officials of the executive branch of Djibouti and the state telecommunications company to receive a contract worth €20.3 million ($24 million).

In the indictment, which was filed under the heading of secret, in 2020, Mr. Bereket is accused of conspiracy to violate the US Corruption Act abroad and conspiracy to launder money. Mr. Bereket, who the Justice Department said remained at large, could not be reached for comment.

Ericsson manager gave officials millions of bribes for state contracts

The case against Afevork Bereket stems from an extensive investigation into Ericsson, which the company completed in December 2019, concluding an agreement with the prosecutor's office in the amount of $1 billion in connection with allegations of violation of the FCPA, anti-bribery law.

The settlement concerned acts committed between 2000 and 2016 in five countries, including Djibouti, China, Vietnam, Kuwait and Indonesia. An Ericsson spokeswoman said the company is aware of the charge against Mr. Bereket, but declined to comment further on the matter.

Prosecutors said Mr. Bereket was involved in a bribery scheme between 2010 and 2014 while on a long-term business trip from Ericsson in Africa.

According to the indictment, from 2010 to 2014, he, along with others, forced the Ericsson subsidiary to conclude a fictitious contract with a consulting company and approve fake invoices to conceal bribes. According to the prosecutors, he also helped compile a report on a comprehensive legal examination, in which the marital relations between the owner of the consulting company and one of the high-ranking officials who was given bribes were not disclosed. As part of this scheme, Mr. Bereket forced Ericsson to transfer funds through bank accounts in the United States.^[1]

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