By Supantha Mukherjee

STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) – Ericsson (BSS:) On Tuesday Borje Ekholm stated that he told his staff to report to the U.S. Department of Justice any information they have on a company investigation into suspicious payments to Iraqi citizens in 2019.

After Ericsson stated this month that U.S. authorities found it had failed to disclose enough information about the activities of its Iraqi affiliates before entering into a 2019 deferred prosecution agreement, Ericsson has come under intense scrutiny regarding possible payments to Islamic State.

It’s true that I directed to fully disclose to the DOJ, and then we have an internal procedure… Ekholm stated that he would not divulge these details during a conference call with shareholders ahead of the annual general meeting which will be held on March 29.

Ericsson’s board including chairman Ronnie Leten has been supporting Ekholm after Glass Lewis, a proxy firm, recommended that shareholders vote for him to be removed following his disclosure and sharp drop in shares.

According to Reuters, Ericsson submitted only parts of its 77 page investigation in 2019 but not the complete report.

Ericsson and Justice Department reached a 2019 agreement to end a investigation into years of corruption in China Vietnam, Djibouti and Vietnam. Ericsson settled for more than $1B in fines and other fees.

Ericsson’s Iraq issues were disclosed last month. This triggered a drop in share prices that took more than one third of its market value. The company claimed that its 2019 internal inquiry had found payments intended to circumvent Iraqi customs. It was done at a moment when some routes were controlled by militant organizations like Islamic State.

The Justice Department did not release the 2019 findings to shareholders and issued a February statement only after media queries.

In a notice issued by the Justice Department earlier in this month, Ericsson was not required to disclose any misconduct or compliance issues related to Iraq.

The department could not be reached immediately for comment.

Ericsson received a breach notification from the Justice Department on March 2nd. Scott Dresser has been appointed as the Chief Legal Officer.

Dedullen has not responded to my request for comment.

On Tuesday, several shareholders expressed concern about the Justice Department breach and whether other investigations were being conducted.

Ericsson executives stated they are currently in negotiations with the department.

Dresser said that Ericsson will do all it takes to resolve any historical problems or concerns that might arise in the review. Dresser is responsible for overseeing Ericsson’s conduct regarding Iraqi issues and how they were addressed.