Lars Nyberg, former CEO of TeliaSonera, is under suspicion of being an accessory to bribery relating to the group’s business in Uzbekistan, a controversy it has been embroiled in since 2012, Swedish television station SVT reported.

“I was placed under suspicion of accessory to bribery over a year ago,” he wrote in a text message to SVT.

In 2012, Swedish prosecutors launched a probe into TeliaSonera’s purchase of a 3G licence in Uzbekistan.

The operator was also subject to a US investigation, along with Vimpelcom and MTS, over corruption claims suggesting the companies funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to secure wireless frequencies in Uzbekistan, which led to Nyberg’s departure.

US prosecutors approached their European counterparts to seize assets worth about $1 billion as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.

The Department of Justice and SEC claimed substantial bribes were paid by the operators to businesses controlled by Karimova in return for radio frequencies and other benefits.

However, no individual or company has been charged as a result of US or European inquiries.

Last month, TeliaSonera announced it was in the process of reducing its presence from seven markets in Eurasia, Uzbekistan being one, as it looks to make a complete exit from the region.