The government has recently replied to the Telenor Group's legal notice, served on President Abdul Hamid to pursue an arbitration to resolve audit dispute amicably between the Bangladesh Telecom-munication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the Grameenphone (GP).
"The Attorney General office sent the reply on behalf of the government," Tareq Hasan Siddiqui, the BTRC Director (Legal and Licensing Division) told The Financial Express on Sunday.
The Telenor Group, which owns Bangladesh's largest mobile phone operator GP, sent a legal notice to President Abdul Hamid in October, seeking arbitration over the dispute involving payment of Tk 125.8 billion.
But, Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar revealed the matter for the first time on Thursday (Dec 19).
Allen & Overy LLP, Singapore sent the legal notice to the President, requesting him to pursue arbitration for resolving the audit dispute between the BTRC and GP. The law firm mentioned that the arbitration could be pursued under the Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) 2004 between Singapore and Bangladesh.
However, in a statement on Thursday, Cathrine Stang Lund, Director of Group Communication Asia, Telenor Group, said: "GP is not a party in this (arbitration) process. It is important for Telenor Group to protect its assets in Bangladesh."
"Telenor has sent a notice to seek resolution of a dispute, and invited the government of Bangladesh to meet to discuss the matter and work towards a constructive solution."
"The BITs encourage dialogue, and Telenor still believes the best way forward is that the authorities concerned and the operators (GP and Robi) agree on an amicable and transparent solution to the disputed audit," it added.
About the content of reply, the BTRC director said GP has already filed a case regarding the matter, and it is pending with the High Court. Mr Siddiqui further said the BTRC legal team has scrutinised every detail of the audit claim.
"GP has to pay the audit dues," he added.
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