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Update on corruption case in Denmark

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Reference is made to previous stock exchange notices from 2015 – 2018, with the latest notice on June 28, 2018.

On July 3, 2018, the district court in Glostrup, Denmark informed seven former employees of Atea A/S (“Atea Denmark”) that they would be prosecuted for bribery carried out during a period between 2009 - 2014. The indictment involves allegations that these employees provided consumer electronics, including PCs, mobile phones and other devices, for free or at a discount to public sector employees involved in IT procurement.

The case has been public for several years, and was the result of an investigation which began in June 2015. Several public sector employees have already been prosecuted and sentenced in this case. The public prosecutor has now expanded the scope of the prosecution to cover former employees of Atea Denmark.

Under Danish law, a company can be held legally responsible for actions undertaken by employees. As a result, Atea A/S (Atea Denmark) has been prosecuted as the legally responsible entity for the actions of these seven former employees.

“This is not a new case, but an extension of an existing case that is already well-known. None of the individuals who are implicated in the indictment are currently employed at Atea. Atea has provided full support for the police investigation into the actions of these former employees. At the same time, Atea has responded by implementing strong measures to prevent misconduct and to ensure compliance with our Code of Conduct and the highest standards of ethics.”

These measures include the following:

  •  Atea Denmark has conducted a “self-cleaning” program in accordance with EU legislation
  •  Atea Denmark has received the highest international anti-bribery certification (ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Systems)
  •  The Atea Group has established a thorough compliance system, including comprehensive control procedures
  •  The Code of Conduct of Atea has been updated and strengthened
  •  All employees of the Atea Group are required to complete a training program and a test in ethics and the Code of Conduct – with zero tolerance for breach
  •  The anonymous whistleblower system has been strengthened for those who wish to report violations of the Code of Conduct or of relevant law
  •  A compliance committee has been established in the Board of Directors (Atea ASA)
  •  The CFO of Atea ASA, Robert Giori, has been appointed as Group Compliance Officer
  •  All business units report on compliance quarterly in order to make sure that the governance systems are working.

For further information, please contact: 
Steinar Sønsteby, CEO Atea ASA, mobile (+47) 930 55 655


About Atea 
Atea is the leading supplier of IT infrastructure and system integration in the Nordic and Baltic regions with 7,000 employees. Atea is present in 87 cities in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Atea delivers IT products from leading vendors and assists its customers with specialist competencies within IT infrastructure services. Atea had revenue of approximately NOK 32 billion in 2017 and is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange. https://www.atea.com

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