Thursday, September 02, 2010

Algeria - Govt has banned adverts by Orascom Telecom as part of the dispute over tax payments

[reuters] Algeria has dropped Orascom Telecom's adverts from all of the country's terrestrial television stations, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said, the latest move in a long-running dispute.

Egypt-based Orascom Telecom has been locked in a disagreement over its Algerian unit since the Algerian government last year hit it with a back tax claim, banned it from transferring cash overseas and blocked its sale to South Africa's MTN.

Algerian state television, which controls all the country's terrestrial stations, refused to renew an annual advertising contract with the Orascom Telecom unit that trades under the name Djezzy, the source told Reuters.

"They (state television) are no longer agreeing to run Djezzy's ads," said the source, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

A senior executive with state television did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. An Orascom Telecom spokeswoman at the firm's headquarters in Cairo declined to comment.

Advertisements for the Orascom Telecom unit continue to run on state-controlled radio and in several newspapers, including some which are state-owned.

Algeria drops Orascom Tel ads from state TV: source

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