Albania’s parliament rejected the sale of state telecom operator Albtelecom to a Turkish consortium for US$ 144 million. Albtelecom is the only fixed-line telecommunications provider in Albania and also operates a mobile phone network.
Sixty-eight lawmakers voted against the deal, while only 30 supported it. The government said there were irregularities in the sale of 76% of Albtelecom to the Calik Enerji Telekomunikasyon consortium by the former administration. International experts will review the bid process and the valuation of the company. The opposition party denied the allegations of irregularities and said their former government had hired an Italian company to ensure the transparency of the privatisation process.
Calik Enerji was the only international company that bid for Albtelecom. Ten other companies – from Slovenia, South Korea, the U.S., Kuwait and Ireland – had expressed interest but did not submit bids.
Source: Dow Jones - WDR/Intelecon Regulatory News
|