Grameenphone agrees to pay Tk200 crore to BTRC on condition
Meanwhile, another BTRC lawyer, Barrister Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib told the reporters, "We are ready to negotiate if Grameenphone agrees to pay half of the total Tk12,580 crores.”
Mobile phone operator Grameenphone has told the Appellate Division that they will pay Tk200 crore of the Tk12,580 crore owed to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on condition.
Grameenphone lawyer Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said this on Thursday at the full bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.
He told the court, "We gave some conditions in a meeting with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology on October 3. If they agree to the conditions, we will pay Tk200 crore."
However, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, the lawyer of BTRC, sought a stay order on the High Court's injunction on collecting Tk12,580 crore from Grameenphone.
Meanwhile, another BTRC lawyer, Barrister Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib told the reporters, "We are ready to negotiate if Grameenphone agrees to pay half of the total Tk12,580 crore."
Earlier, on Thursday, the Appellate Division fixed November 18 to pass its order on the matter.
On April 2, 2019, the telecom regulator demanded Tk12,579.95 crore from Grameenphone over irregularities, prompting the company to seek legal actions.
On October 17, the High Court bench of Justice AKM Abdul Hakim and Justice Fatima Nazib issued a two-month injunction against the BTRC's move.
Later, the BTRC appealed to the Appellate Division seeking a stay order.
On October 24, the court asked Grameenphone to inform it about the amount it can pay now to BTRC. Later, on October 31, the court granted two-week time to Grameenphone to reply.