SC asks Citycell to clear BTRC dues

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered Citycell to clear its dues of Tk 128 crore to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission as it rejected a petition that was seeking a waiver.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division of the highest court headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order in the petition filed by Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Ltd (PBTL), the parent company of Citycell. The apex court said Citycell would have to pay the money to the BTRC as recommended by an expert committee headed by Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury.

The SC formed the committee in November 2016 to assess the relevant fees of the Bangladesh's first mobile phone operator payable to the commission, according to BTRC's lawyer Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib.

The committee submitted a report to the Appellate Division in June last year and recommended the out-of-operation operator pay Tk 372 crore to the BTRC in revenue sharing fees, spectrum charge, late fees and fine.

Citycell has already paid Tk 244 crore as per the recommendation, said Raquib.

PBTL recently filed the petition seeking directives so that Citycell is exempted from paying the rest.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam appeared for the BTRC while Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud and Advocate Ahsanul Karim represented PBTL.