LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The telecoms regulator on Thursday fined the Greek unit of UK mobile giant Vodafone 19.1 mln eur for violating network regulations in a wire-tapping scandal that rocked the country last year.

The fine is the second handed to Vodafone Hellas over the case after a 76 mln eur penalty levelled by Greece's communication privacy watchdog last December.

Some 100 Vodafone cellphones in February 2006 were found to have been compromised by an illicit network that tapped sets used by Greek Premier Costas Karamanlis, his wife and several ministers from June 2004 to March 2005.

The tapping used software slipped into Vodafone's network by unknown perpetrators to illegally activate an Ericsson-made module permitting call interception.

On Thursday, the national telecommunications regulator EETT accused Vodafone of breaching regulations on the protection of telecommunications privacy, network maintenance and quality, and consumer protection.

The company rejected last December's fine as 'illegal, unfair and baseless.'

A Greek parliament committee collecting evidence on the case last November noted the involvement of three employees of telecoms giants Ericsson Hellas and Vodafone Greece, identified only by their initials.

'The whole system could not operate without Ericsson know-how and without access from within (Vodafone),' the report said.

The Greek branch of Swedish telecom equipment giant Ericsson has also been fined 7.36 mln eur over the case.

The parliamentary committee did not rule out the involvement of other people operating outside Greece.

The Greek justice department has opened an investigation into the case but nobody has yet been charged.

Days before the affair came to light, a senior Vodafone expert was found hanged inside his home.

The death of Costas Tsalikidis, manager of Vodafone Greece's network planning section, was linked to the case and his family suspects he was murdered.

i would go for the round about

Swings for me. AM/PM

i think BM is correct, not least because VOD is a key stock that has to be held by virtually all funds ..... even at the outset, sp unlikely to dip by more than the nett divi, always assuming general sentiment is still perky

I wonder if the under performance today, reflects Investor feeling that the share may fall more than the dividend ? NG. (also ex dividend tomorrow) still up 1.4%.

Doubt it skinny still more buys than sells

Thank you everybody might risk waiting.

So is Booker means little.

Bernard - hardly a worthy comparison - 1.8% yield! And anyway, I don't hold BOK :-)

Neither is NG.

FTSE is trimming it's earlier gains.

the reason that markets have not performed is because the world
does not have one person incharge running any country
they are all third rate leaders . the days of good leaders has gone down to human
rights .humans rights is killing the planet .THIS IS FACT JUST LOOK AROUND THE
WORLD. over populatedby 4 billion people and still breeding out of control

WATER is going to be the new gold

Leaders like Stalin, Hitler, Castro, Idi Amin and Saddam Hussein (to name but a few) you mean?.........

no like maggie and co . these today are spineless arsewipes

have started to buy more expect 220p in 3 months

Normal trading on ex divi day first hours trading.

slod out last night.,.
sold even lol

Down 3% which is a lot higher than the divi atm.

the div is over 3% div 6.05p down 5.07p but will be over 200p in 3 months

I have three ex divi today but not worried PM will improve SP's

vod to get 4.6b div from vir end june