Clarification regarding criminal charges in a tender process
In addition to the information published in Dagens Industri on 7 May, Sweco wants to clarify the following, as the company was not given any opportunity to comment on the newspaper's information prior to publication.
In November 2012, strong suspicion of improprieties was found in a tender process in which Sweco took part. The incident was announced in a press release on 28 November 2012 and has also been clarified at the company's Annual General Meeting on 17 April this year.
Sweco’s internal investigation shows that two individuals affiliated with Sweco have acted in sharp conflict with the company’s policies and business ethics rules. The individuals in question were an employee at Sweco Sweden and a sub-consultant to Sweco. The event has been reported to the police and is now under investigation by the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s National Anti-Corruption Unit.
“Acting on their own, they have used methods that are in direct conflict with our business ethics rules. Their actions do not belong at Sweco and under no circumstances do we tolerate such behaviour. The individuals are now also subject of a criminal investigation and they are no longer connected to Sweco,” says Tomas Carlsson, President and CEO of Sweco.
The incident took place in connection with a tender process for a water and environmental project in Ukraine, financed by the World Bank. The improprieties included payment for travel and undue insight into the tender process.
Parallel to its own investigation, Sweco has assisted the World Bank in its inquiry into the tender process. This inquiry is not yet completed.
“We have since the incident came to light in the end of 2012 carried out a total review of our routines and further tightened our internal control procedures. The measures include new procedures for reporting irregularities, clearer guidelines on business ethics and stricter control of subcontractors. In June there will be special training for managers and during the autumn training will be held for all employees, explains Tomas Carlsson.”
For more information contact:
Tomas Carlsson, President and CEO, Sweco, +46 8 695 66 07 / +46 70 645 03 21
Fredrik Hedlund, Head of Corporate Communications, Sweco, +46 8 695 66 12 /
+46 73 412 66 12
Sweco is an international consulting group with combined expertise in consulting engineering, environmental technology and architecture. Sweco has annual sales of approximately SEK 7.5 billion and around 7,800 employees in the Nordic region and Central and Eastern Europe. The company has projects currently underway in some 80 countries worldwide. Sweco is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm AB.