The management of telecom operator Vivacall has opted to settle its case on a tax dispute and shutdown through arbitration, a top government official said.
In March, South Sudan’s government shutdown Vivacell, one of the largest telecom firms in the country, for alleged noncompliance with regulations. It said the firm had failed to pay over $60 million in tax since its establishment.
Vivacell is owned by Lebanon’s Fattouch Investment Group.
Information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth said in an interview with SSBC that the mobile network operator had decided to go for arbitration instead of negotiations with the government on the dispute.
“We met with Fattouch Group twice before Easter and we postponed the talks because they said they wanted to go for Easter holidays,” Makuei said.
“After they arrived in Lebanon, they sent us a letter saying we should go for arbitration on the dispute,” he added.
The government official, who shutdown the telecom firm, pointed out that the Fattouch group was supposed to come to Juba for negotiations with the government before it could go for arbitration.
“We asked them to come and continue the discussions and after we disagree, then we can go for arbitration, so we hope that they will come,” Makuei said.
Vivacell's entry into South Sudan was facilitated by top SPLM officials.