Grameenphone deposits 10 bn BDT to keep injunction
The Bangladeshi Supreme Court has the 20 February asked Grameenphone to pay a deposit of 10 billion BDT (1 billion NOK) to BTRC, to uphold the stay order previously granted by the High Court. The deposit is part of the ongoing dispute relating to the BTRC Information System Audit of Grameenphone for the period 1997 to 2014. The stay order protects Grameenphone by restraining BTRC from taking any steps towards realisation or enforcement of the audit demand. Grameenphone has accepted the Supreme Court’s decision and will pay the deposit.
The disputed audit of Grameenphone covers the past 20 years and is significantly flawed. Grameenphone has repeatedly highlighted the errors and attempted to correct these in the audit process. The company’s inputs were not included in the audit findings. The Supreme Court has not tried the merits of the audit, and that case is still in process in the court system. Grameenphone continues its dialogue with the authorities of Bangladesh to find an amicable and transparent solution to the dispute.