N1.04tn fine: MTN Wants to Settle Out of Court

MTN Nigeria, on Friday informed Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, that it has the intention of settling out of court with the Nigerian Communications Commission over the N1.04tn fine imposed on it. This development came when lawyer to MTN, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), begged the judge to give parties 60 days to explore the option of settling out of court. Addressing the Court, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), however said parties had been finding it difficult to settle out of court. The AGF therefore told the Court to take it that all the court papers in the matter had been properly filed and served and that the case was still ongoing. According to him, “This is a matter of national importance. There have been concessions in the past and nothing happened.” Reacting, lawyer to NCC, Yusuf Alli (SAN), pointed out that the maximum period allowed by the court rules was 21 days for parties to file and serve written addresses. In a short ruling, Justice Idris, while adjourning the matter till March 18, 2016 for report of settlement or hearing of the case, declared that all processes filed shall be deemed as properly filed and served.