TELENOR RAIDED: Norway Probes Sanctions Breach, Alleged Role In Myanmar Abuses

• Norwegian authorities have opened separate investigations into telecom giant Telenor over suspected sanctions violations and alleged complicity in crimes against humanity linked to its former Myanmar operations, putting corporate data handling and sanctions controls under intense scrutiny.

Norwegian police and the country’s security service, PST, launched the investigations on September 15 and raided Telenor’s headquarters in Oslo as part of the probes.

The crimes-against-humanity investigation concerns allegations that Telenor Myanmar repeatedly handed historical customer traffic data to Myanmar’s military regime after the February 2021 coup, during a period in which authorities were accused of widespread abuses against civilians.

A separate investigation by PST focuses on the sale of Telenor’s Myanmar business, completed in March 2022. Norwegian authorities allege that the transaction involved sanctioned surveillance equipment and was completed without the required authorisation from Norway’s Foreign Ministry.

The case puts two distinct compliance risks under the microscope: how companies respond to government demands for sensitive customer information in high-risk jurisdictions, and how sanctions controls are maintained when businesses exit markets.

Telenor said it was cooperating with investigators. The company said employees in Myanmar faced threats of imprisonment, torture or the death penalty if they refused military orders, arguing that it believed it had no safe alternative while trying to protect its staff.

Telenor exited Myanmar in March 2022. No individuals have been charged or placed under investigation, according to the company.

For compliance teams, the investigation highlights the need for enhanced sanctions screening, export-control checks, transaction approvals and documented escalation procedures when disposing of assets or transferring technology in sanctioned or conflict-affected markets.

The investigations remain ongoing, and the allegations have not been tested in court.