UPDATE 1-TeliaSonera says has full confidence in CEO Nyberg

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STOCKHOLM, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Nordic telecoms groupTeilaSonera said it had full confidence in ChiefExecutive Lars Nyberg and denied bringing forward a search forhis replacement due to controversy over a deal in Uzbekistan.

Newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported that Nyberg may resignbefore his term ends at the end of next year after allegationsof wrongdoing by TeliaSonera in a purchase of a 3G licence inUzbekistan in 2007.

"TeliaSonera's board of directors has full confidence inChief Executive Lars Nyberg," Chairman Anders Narvinger said inan emailed statement on Wednesday.

"His current contract ends in December next year. Finding areplacement for a chief executive at one of Sweden's largestcompanies is a long process which the board initiated before thecurrent debate started," he said.

Dagens Nyheter had reported that hiring a recruitment firmas much as 15 months in advance of Nyberg's scheduled departureshowed the chief executive would depart early.

Nyberg has come under pressure after a report thatTeliaSonera paid funds to an offshore company for a 3G permit inUzbekistan and that the company had links to the daughter ofPresident Islam Karimov.

A Swedish prosecutor has also opened a preliminaryinvestigation into whether the deal involved money laundering orwas an act of corruption.

TeliaSonera has denied wrongdoing but has appointed a lawfirm to look at the deal.

Nyberg has said he would step down if it was proved a crimewas committed.

(Reporting by Olof Swahnberg; Editing by David Holmes)

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Keywords: TELIASONERA NYBERG/