Norway targets Telenor in Myanmar crimes probe after raid

Norway's Telenor probe now targets alleged Myanmar data transfers and sanctions violations. Police raided the Oslo headquarters on Tuesday.

The investigation centers on whether the telecoms operator helped enable crimes against humanity after Myanmar's military seized power in 2021, according to Norwegian authorities. The National Criminal Investigation Service and the PST security service said the case also covers suspected breaches tied to Telenor's withdrawal from the country.

Telenor data requests face scrutiny

Police said Telenor Myanmar repeatedly gave the military regime historical customer traffic data while the junta was carrying out broad abuses against civilians. The statement did not say whether investigators believe those transfers were ordered under local law, requested informally, or made through another channel.

Telenor said it is cooperating with investigators and will assist efforts to clarify the matter. The company also said no individuals have been charged or placed under investigation, a point that narrows the current case to corporate conduct rather than named executives or employees.

The company left Myanmar after the coup and completed the sale of its local business in March 2022. Telenor has said the military takeover placed its staff in danger and left the group with no workable options, including when it faced orders from military authorities.

Myanmar exit adds sanctions risk

The sanctions part of the investigation concerns the sale of the Myanmar unit and the alleged transfer of surveillance equipment covered by sanctions controls, police said. Authorities said they are examining whether Telenor should have obtained permission from Norway's foreign ministry before completing the transaction.

Telenor said the coup put the company and its employees under severe pressure. In its statement, the company said staff risked imprisonment, torture or the death penalty if military orders were ignored, adding that it found itself "in an impossible situation with no good alternatives" and "had no real choice."

The case follows separate legal pressure in Europe. Earlier this year, a Swedish nonprofit filed a class-action lawsuit alleging Telenor Myanmar shared call logs and location data on suspected opponents of the junta, and that at least one prominent activist was later executed.

Justice For Myanmar, an activist group that worked with the International Commission of Jurists Norway on submissions to investigators, welcomed the police action. Yadanar Maung, a spokesperson for the group, said the material submitted alleged a transfer of spyware to a military-linked company and the sharing of sensitive data with the junta.

Legal paths for telecom groups

The main legal question is whether Norwegian investigators can connect Telenor's actions in Myanmar to criminal liability under Norwegian or international law. A second question is whether the sale of the business involved restricted technology that required prior approval from Norwegian authorities.

If investigators substantiate the data-transfer allegations, Telenor could face a longer legal process and reputational pressure over how it handled state demands in a conflict market. If the sanctions case becomes the stronger track, the company's exposure may turn more on export-control procedures, deal approvals and internal compliance records from the 2022 exit.

The wider telecoms industry will read the case as a warning about network operators in countries where governments can demand subscriber data and control licensing. If Norwegian authorities bring charges, multinational groups may treat exits from high-risk markets as transactions requiring deeper sanctions screening, stronger employee-risk documentation and clearer audit trails for equipment transfers.