Three Rotterdam based subsidiaries of Swedish telecom giant Telia have agreed to pay $274m in an out of court settlement for bribing government officials and keeping inaccurate books and records. The fine relates to the company’s efforts to gain access to the Uzbek telecom market, during which officials paid bribes to the eldest daughter of the former president of Uzbekistan via its Dutch subsidiaries, the public prosecution department said. The deal covers the period 2007 to 2010. Telia has also reached settlements with the US department of justice and the US securities and exchange commission. In total, the company has agreed to pay $965m to settle the charges. The Netherlands considers the fine as ‘appropriate’, the Dutch prosecutor said in a statement. ‘It is a punishment that hurts, and it does justice to the significance of the acts committed as well as to the disruption these acts caused to the legal order.  The parallel [US] government action against corruption demonstrates that corruption is tackled internationally.’  More >

An Italian national wanted in connection with mafia activities was picked up in Amsterdam at the beginning of this month on a European arrest warrant, police said on Thursday. Police had been tipped off that the 33-year-old was living in Amsterdam. The man was arrested on Waterlooplein, next to the city hall and the market on September 7. Two police officers from Italy were part of the arrest squad but the actual arrest was made by Dutch officers, the police statement said. Last week the police announced that a special team was being set up to hunt for potential mafia members in the Netherlands. This arrest was not connected to that plan, broadcaster NOS said. The man is being held in custody pending his deportation to Italy.  More >

Customs officials working in Rotterdam’s port have found 400 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container from Panama, the public prosecution department said on Thursday. The drugs were hidden in a consignment of tyres destined for a company in Moerdijk and were found following a tip-off. The cocaine was packed in 16 black bags and had a street value of some €10m, the public prosecution department said. Customs officials and police are continuing their investigation into who is responsible and no arrests so far have been reported. Police and customs officials seized a record quantity of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam last year. According to the Telegraaf, at least 14 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of €700m were found at the port by a special police team. In 2014, 7.5 tonnes of cocaine were seized in Rotterdam and the year before that, 4.6 tonnes. Last year’s seizures include four tonnes found in a consignment of pineapples from Costa Rica in June and 2.9 tonnes hidden among household products from Curaçao in March.  More >

A 27-year-old who furnished his rental apartment with home-made explosives, weapons and ammunition can finally be evicted after a court ruling, according to Ymere housing corporation. The man was picked up by police in July, when neighbours suspected there was something fishy about the new inhabitant. When his house and cellar area were searched, reports the Haarlems Dagblad, police discovered the explosives, neighbours were evacuated, and the weapons were disposed of in controlled explosions. Local mayor Jos Wienen decided the apartment should be nailed shut for three months, but the social housing corporation had to go to court for permission to dissolve the lease and formally eject the tenant. Ymere regional manager Gerrie Blok said in a press release: ‘This is in th e interests of all neighbours and nearby inhabitants. Safety is of the highest priority.’  More >