BTRC considering waiving a part of audit claims from Banglalink

Ismail Hossain
The telecom regulator is considering waiving a part of audit claims amounting to Tk 8.23 billion from Banglalink, the third largest operator in the country, in response to its request.
The operator had formally applied to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to waive over Tk 4 billion in late fees and interests, according to both BTRC and Banglalink.
Both sides also sat several times for talks to settle the issue.
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar told the media on Saturday that they are considering waiving a part of the amount, if not all.
Banglalink's Chief Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Officer Taimur Rahman told The FE that Banglalink, being a compliant company, always strives to ensure compliance.
"We have shared certain concerns regarding the findings and requested reconsideration in light of the licence terms and the laws of the country," he said.
"We believe that our concerns will be duly reviewed by the authorities," he added
Banglalink argued that BTRC cannot claim late fees and interest over the audit objection since 2011 as they claimed the amount in 2022.
According to the minister, BTRC finds Banglalink's argument acceptable, so they will consider it.
Banglalink has already paid Tk 500 million as part of the audit objection amounting to Tk 8.23 billion to BTRC.
BTRC had earlier asked Banglalink to pay the audit objection amount within 10 days.
However, the operator requested for extension of time, which was granted.
The BTRC accepted the final report on the audit objection claim on May 18 this year, one year and nine months after the appointment of the auditor.
BTRC's audit objection to Banglalink includes Tk 4.30 billion in late fees, Tk 2.34 billion in VAT and other fees, and Tk 1.59 billion in revenue sharing, handset royalty, access frequency payment, microwave frequency payment and licence fee.
Following the audit, the departments concerned, including the finance division, scrutinised various issues and demanded money from Banglalink.
Earlier, the telecom regulator conducted separate audits into GP and Robi books from their inception until December 2014 and claimed Tk 125.80 billion from GP and Tk 8.67 billion from Robi.
Both the operators went to the High Court, terming the BTRC's audit claim disputed.
To realise the disputed audit claims, the regulator stopped permitting GP and Robi from making new investments from July 2019, thwarting their quality of service.
Later, the court ordered GP to pay Tk 20 billion and Robi Tk 1.38 billion to the government exchequer for the time being. The matter is yet to be resolved, as all the parties are trying to settle the issue out of the court. The legal battle is going on.
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