AKIPRESS.COM - Norway’s government summoned the chairman of Telenor ASA (TEL) to explain reports alleging that VimpelCom Ltd. (VIP) paid bribes to gain business in Uzbekistan, reports Bloomberg.

Industry Minister Monica Maeland called Telenor Chairman Svein Aaser in for a meeting on November 19 to explain the payments, ministry spokesman Trond Viken said by phone. The government owns about 54 percent of Telenor, which in turn holds 33 percent of the Russian phone carrier.

A report last week by newspaper Klassekampen, which cited information from Swedish prosecutors, rekindled concerns over VimpelCom’s relationship with Takilant Ltd., a company that has also been the focus of a corruption probe at TeliaSonera AB. (TLSN)

In response to a request by Dutch authorities, Swedish prosecutors said in a Nov. 10 document that payments totaling $55 million in 2007 and 2011 from VimpelCom to Takilant are suspected to be “bribes” to Uzbek authorities that were “fully or partially transferred to a Swiss account.”

VimpelCom, whose Amsterdam headquarters were raided in March by Dutch prosecutors, said this recent report doesn’t “provide any new information” to what has been disclosed in financial statements and to regulators.

“The company continues to cooperate with the pending investigations, and it continues to focus its energies on improving its compliance program,” Artem Minaev, head of media relations, said in an e-mail on November 19.