December 21 (SeeNews) - Telekom Srbija said on Thursday it will appeal a decision by Kosovo's competition authority, KCA, to impose a 1.56 million euro ($1.7 million) fine on its Kosovo subsidiary MTS for failing to disclose four acquisitions between 2019 and 2021.
Telekom Srbija claims MTS was not obligated to disclose the acquisition of local cable operators VGN NET, Lika, Impuls, and Herc International because they did not clear the legal thresholds to justify such an obligation, the company said in an emailed statement to SeeNews.
“MTS d.o.o. will certainly use its legal right to initiate legal proceedings and file an appeal with the Administrative Department of the Commercial Court in Pristina within the next 30 days,” the statement reads.
Furthermore, Telekom Srbija disagrees with how the fine was calculated, saying it's too high and doesn't reflect the company's real financial situation.
The competition authority of Kosovo announced its decision to fine MTS on Wednesday, following a monitoring process prompted by suspicion that MTS has acquired the cable operators.
The telecom operator said it considers the affair a continued pressure from prime minister’s Albin Kurti administration towards its Kosovo and Metohija business activities, following an earlier, now withdrawn decision, to revoke MTS's licence in Kosovo.
Metohija is a historical and geographical region located in the western part of Kosovo, an area known for ongoing disputes. The region is especially significant for Serbs because it is home to important Serbian monasteries and cultural sites.
In September, the Commercial Court of Pristina granted the appeal of MTS against a decision by Kosovo’s business registration agency, ARBK, to revoke its licence because in its identification documents the company had stated that the northern Kosovo town of Kosovska Mitrovica is located in Serbia.
($=0.913 euro)
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