(Bloomberg) -- French-Israeli billionaire Patrick Drahi said he felt “betrayed and deceived by a small group of individuals, including one of our oldest colleagues,” being investigated as part of a corruption probe involving his telecommunications empire, Altice.

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If the allegations are true, the individuals had “carefully hidden their actions from me, their colleagues and the total group,” Drahi said during a quarterly results call for debt investors of Altice International on Monday, the first time he has publicly addressed the corruption probe since Portuguese prosecutors announced a criminal investigation last month.

“I do believe that our governance was good and that we can trust all of our management teams,” he said, adding that Altice is evaluating and enhancing third-party due diligence processes and procedures. Drahi said he didn’t expect the probe to affect previously-published financial results, nor Altice International’s cash position or guidance for 2023 and beyond.

The billionaire is scheduled to join a call for debt investors in Altice France on Tuesday.

Armando Pereira, an Altice co-founder and Drahi’s right-hand man, is among more than a dozen employees and 60 suppliers in Portugal, France and the US to be suspended in relation to allegations of corruption, money laundering and tax fraud, and some of Altice’s bonds have been pushed deep into distress. The spreading crisis comes as the group’s debt pile has ballooned to more than $60 billion after years of aggressive acquisitions.

Portuguese prosecutors have said they suspect that procurement decisions taken at Altice Portugal were rigged in a way that harmed the group’s own companies and competitors and benefited intermediaries. A three-year investigation led to 90 searches of homes and offices and several arrests. Pereira remains under house arrest in Portugal. He has denied the Portuguese prosecutor’s allegations via his lawyer.