Leading telecom operator Grameenphone (GP) has paid Tk10 billion to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) as partial due of an audit claim, following a court order.
GP’s Director and Head of Regulatory Affairs Hossain Sadat handed over the pay order to the regulatory body’s Chairman Md Jahirul Haque on Sunday (Feb 23).
“We made an adjustable deposit of Tk 10 billion to BTRC in compliance with the Appellate Division’s order without any prejudice," said Sadat.
“It’s a disputable audit and GP wants a constructive solution through the court or outside the court.
“GP will continue negotiations with the authorities concerned to resolve the matter and it hopes that its business environment will soon become normal and it’ll ensure quality services to its customers,” he added.
Earlier on Friday (Feb 21), GP announced it would pay the sum to the BTRC exchequer just a day after the apex court, on Thursday (Feb 20), ordered the telecom operator to pay the amount by Monday (Feb 24).
The apex court's full seven-member bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, issued the order after hearing a review petition filed by the leading mobile phone operator.
After running an audit on GP, the BTRC in 2016 had claimed Tk12,579.95 crore from the mobile phone operator in taxes and late fees accumulated over the years.
The dispute about the audit intensified last year, with the company facing regulatory punishment, including suspension of service and expansion, for not clearing the audit claim.
On Nov 24, 2019, the Appellate Division ordered GP to pay Tk2 billion of the Tk 125.78 billion dues within three months. The deadline expires on Monday.
The telecom regulator claimed the dues in 27 sectors from GP, but failed to recover the money. Later, BTRC sent a notice to GP threatening to revoke its licence on Apr 2 last year.
But GP moved the court, seeking a temporary injunction on the notice which was turned down on Aug 28 that year. It later filed an appeal with the High Court Division.
On Oct 17, the High Court imposed a two-month injunction on the realization of dues from GP. BTRC later moved the Appellate Division against the order.