The board of TeliaSonera said that it does not consider that “any senior executives…should take a time-out”, following criticism from a Swedish politician.

Peter Norman, the country’s Minister for Financial Markets, made the suggestion in order to safeguard the part state-owned company’s reputation, against a backdrop of further speculation about its activities in Uzbekistan.

The company also reiterated that it believes an ongoing probe will “clarify that we have not bribed anyone or participated in money laundering”.

The speculation concerns the role of Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the Uzbek president, in the transaction.

According to a statement, after rumours at the time of the deal, “[TeliaSonera] investigated the ownership structure by asking questions and obtaining information regarding [local partner] Takilant but we could not identify any other beneficiaries than [sole registered director] Gayane Avakyan”.

The comments follow the publication of details of emails, which indicate that some TeliaSonera staff may have been aware of Karimova’s involvement at the time of the deal.

The executive involved, former head of its Fintur Holdings business Serkan Elden, was “dismissed due to lack of trust”, it said.

Last year, TeliaSonera issued a statement backing Lars Nyberg, its CEO, following reports that it was seeking a replacement. Nyberg is set to stand-down at the end of 2013.