Romanian tax authority impounds Nokia assets for $10m in unpaid taxes

Romania's tax authority ANAF impounded Nokia Corp.'s assets in Jucu, northwestern Romania, after an investigation revealed the Finnish telecommunications giant owed $10 million in unpaid custom taxes, ANAF chief Sorin Blejnar told news agency Mediafax Friday.

Blejnar added:"The measure is preventive and does not affect the company's activity." He said the investigation on Nokia, started in 2009, was completed a few days ago.

The tax authority has impounded the company's assets covering a 28,000 square-meter surface area, including offices and production halls, Blejnar said.

Nokia, which started making mobile phones in Romania in February 2008 following a EUR60 million investment, announced in September it is closing its production line in Romania by the end of the year and moving operations to Asia. Nokia will be laying off 2,200 employees in Romania.

"We are looking into this matter and engaging with the local authority to ensure it will be resolved satisfactorily," said Nokia spokesman James Etheridge in an email to Dow Jones Newswires.

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