View: Take a bow, Ericsson. And India, take a lesson

Anil Ambani’s not going to jail after all, and Ericsson AB got its money. The Swedish company’s lawyers should take a bow.

While the future of the Indian tycoon’s shrinking empire remains shrouded in uncertainty, at least questions over his near-term living arrangements got answered on Monday. Ambani thanked his “respected” elder brother, Mukesh, and sister-in-law, Nita, after avoiding a three-month prison term. India’s richest man showed up just in time to help his younger sibling who has, in a little over a decade, lost 99 percent of his $31 billion net worth.

The local unit of Ericsson had accepted a 5.5 billion rupees ($80 million) settlement to keep its petition for Reliance Communications Ltd.’s $7 billion bankruptcy in abeyance. The telecom equipment vendor subsequently won a contempt-of-court order to put Chairman Anil Ambani in jail if the long-delayed payment – which he personally guaranteed – wasn’t received by Tuesday.