Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently requested the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSCF) not to allow share or capital transfer of any telecom company without permission of the regulator. The BTRC officials said according to rule 37(2) of Bangladesh Telecommunication Act 2001 telecom companies are obligated to take no objection certificate from BTRC for any kind of change in ownership.
The issue was also notified to all the license-holders again, they said.
They said despite the rule some International Gateway operators recently changed their ownership to RJSCF which put the BTRC in an awkward position.
‘Some IGW operators, who have huge dues to the commission, have recently sold their shares to other people without permission of the BTRC. But they have completed the formalities with the RJSCF,’ a BTRC official told New Age on Wednesday.
He said as the BTRC has dues to the previous owner it cannot legally demand money from the current owner who is running the company in a different name.
‘We are corresponding with the RJSCF and hope it will be resolved soon. After that we will take legal action against the companies who changed ownership without our NOC,’ he said.
Another BTRC official said currently six IGW companies are out of operation which have around Tk 500 crore dues to the government.
‘All those companies were previously owned by ruling party high-ups and their family members, but now they sold the shares to close associates to evade the dues,’ he said.
-With New Age input
