Telecoms company, MTN, has gone to court to challenge the Nigerian
Communications Commission’s decision to impose a N780 billion fine on
the South African firm, two weeks before the deadline for it to pay up.
The NCC sanctioned MTN for refusing to remove over 5.1 million unregistered telephone subscribers from its network.
The regulatory body fined the telecoms operator N1.04 trillion, but
later reduced it by 25 per cent after amid pressure and with the
intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The NCC also reviewed the deadline from November 16 to December 31, 2015.
Ahead of that date, the MTN Group on Thursday said in a statement
from Johannesburg, South Africa, that it was taking legal action over
the matter.
According to the firm, since its previous advice to its shareholders
on December 4, 2015 that all factors relating to the sanctions were
thoroughly and carefully considered, including a review of the
circumstances that led to the fine and subsequent reduction by NCC,
there were enough grounds upon which to challenge the fine in court.
Claiming to act on legal advice, MTN queried the manner the fine was
imposed, describing it as “not in accordance with the NCC’s powers under
the Nigerian Communications Act”.
“Accordingly MTN has followed due process and has instructed its
lawyers to proceed with an action in the Federal High Court in Lagos
seeking the appropriate reliefs,” the telecom firm said in the
statement.
The company said in view of the pending legal action, the company
said it would continue to dialogue with the NCC and the Nigerian
government in an attempt to reach an amicable resolution in the best
interests of all parties.
It advised its shareholders to continue to exercise caution when
dealing in the company’s securities until a further announcement.
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