Nortel Numbers Show Bonuses Were Bogus

Though Nortel's (NT Quote) true financial health remains shrouded, one thing seems clear: Last year's executive bonuses were too good to be true.

On Wednesday, Nortel served up some more details on its April accounting shocker. Saying internal audits would continue for at least another quarter, Nortel reiterated that cleaning up its books would slash 2003 earnings by some $300 million and eliminate last year's surprising first-half profit.

Most important, Nortel said for the first time that 2003's phantom profits came from its core business of selling telecom gear -- not from selling assets or other one-time events. That disclosure is crucial, because it draws a link between the company's oft-questioned executive pay incentive plan and the recent accounting missteps. Analysts and investors say the link could shed some light on this spring's firing of top execs including former CEO Frank Dunn.

The company paid out more than $50 million in bonuses to select officers last year after posting a surprising first-half profit. Dunn alone received $2.15 million, according to a report last month in The Globe and Mail of Toronto. ...