In the latest chapter in an increasingly bitter feud, Vivendi SA turned to a racketeering statute to try to block Deutsche Telekom AG from taking control of Polish telecom operator Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa.
Vivendi said Monday that it filed a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, complaint alleging that T-Mobile had illegally appropriated Vivendi’s $2.5 billion investment in PTC, by means of fraud and racketeering. The RICO statute outlaws the investment of ill-gotten gains from another business and the acquisition of an interest in a business through certain illegal acts. The complaint was filed in federal court in Washington state.
