UPDATE: Russia’s VimpelCom CEO Slobodin quits, Johnsen new CEO

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MOSCOW, Sep 6 (PRIME) -- Amsterdam-based VimpelCom Ltd. has accepted resignation of CEO of its fully-owned Russian mobile operator VimpelCom, Mikhail Slobodin, who was replaced by Kjell Johnsen, head of major markets, VimpelCom Ltd. said late Monday in a statement.

The move immediately followed the news regarding Slobodin and his prior employer, T Plus.

The Investigative Committee said that Slobodin was involved into a criminal case of bribery of the government of the Komi Republic, in the country’s northwest, and managers of power company T Plus.

In late August, VimpelCom Ltd. extended the contract with Slobodin to the end of August 2019.

“Kjell has extensive experience in the country and will continue to drive the company’s transformation forward,” the statement read.

“Kjell Johnsen joined VimpelCom to lead VimpelCom’s major markets in August 2016 and has international expertise in senior roles across a variety of industries, with responsibility for markets such as Russia, Scandinavia, and Central and Eastern Europe.”

Slobodin told Bloomberg News late on Monday that he was on a business trip outside Russia.

On Tuesday, VimpelCom’s former head deleted and hid all his comments in social networks. He deleted records in Facebook up to 2014. Access to Slobodin’s account in Twitter is limited. All comments in LiveJournal were also erased.

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