Citycell must pay BTRC Tk 128 cr

FT ONLINE

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered mobile phone operator Citycell to pay Tk 128 crore in dues to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order after rejecting a petition filed by the mobile phone company seeking a revision of an earlier order.

Barrister Rokon Uddin Mahmud and Advocate Ahsanul Mamun stood for Citycell while Barrister Khandaker Reza-e-Raquib represented the BTRC.

Raquib said with this order, Citycell will have to pay Tk 128 crore to BTRC.

Earlier, on November 3, 2016, the Supreme Court ordered the authorities concerned to immediately reopen Citycell frequency and directed mobile firm to pay Tk 1 billion in dues.

Besides, the SC formed a three-member committee, headed by Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice chancellor of University of Asia Pacific, to settle the dispute between Citycell and the BTRC. The committee was asked to settle the matter within one month.

Later, the committee submitted its report to the Appellate Division in June last year recommending payment of Tk 372 crore to BTRC and Citycell paid Tk 244 crore.

On March 5 last, the Appellate Division asked the mobile phone operator to pay rest of Tk 128 crore to BTRC, reports UNB.

Ahsanul Karim, a counsel of Citycell, said “We had filed a petition before the court seeking a revision of the recommendations made by the committee as it there were flaws in its counting.”