A former account manager at Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson faces charges of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) regarding alleged bribes paid to government officials in the Republic of Djibouti.
Afework Bereket helped facilitated the payment of $2.1 million to two high-ranking officials in Djibouti’s executive branch and a high-level executive at Djibouti’s state-owned telecommunications company to obtain a contract valued at approximately €20.3 million (U.S. $24 million), according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court. Bereket, a dual citizen of Ethiopia and Sweden, served as the account manager for the Horn of Africa, a region that included Djibouti, while on a long-term assignment for Ericsson in Africa. His alleged misconduct is said to have occurred between 2010 and January 2014.
