Mobile phone operator Grameenphone's parent company Telenor has sent a legal notice to the president seeking arbitration over settlement of dues with the government.
“Grameenphone has sent the notice through a Singapore-based law farm. This is really unfortunate,” Telecoms Minister Mustafa Jabbar told the media on Thursday (Dec 19).
“It is unacceptable that a company operating in Bangladesh pressurizes our president for arbitration with a legal notice,” he said at a meeting with representatives of the Telecom Reporters' Network Bangladesh (TRNB) at his offices.
However, there is no scope to settle the matter outside court, he added.
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) ran separate audits into the books of operators -- Grameenphone and Robi from their inception until December 2014 and claimed amounts of Tk 125.8 billion from GP and Tk 8.67 billion from Robi.
On Aug 25 and Aug 26 respectively, these two mobile operators filed two cases with a Dhaka court, seeking permanent injunctions on the telecom regulator’s audit claims.
The telecoms minister said that Robi would withdraw its lawsuit.
Responding to a query on the possibility of drop in investment due to stern government measures, Jabbar said, “New operators are inclining to serve 5th generation network in the country. Foreign investors are looking into Teletalk to invest. So the situation is normal as usual.”