MTS company has sold its stake in repossessed a 50.01 per cent in its subsidiary in Uzbekistan, Universal Mobile Systems (UMS). On Friday, August 5, reports TASS with reference to information of the Russian company.
The share sold to the Center of radio broadcasting and television (PMU CRRT) under the Ministry for development of information technologies and communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
As noted by the Vice-President of MTS, Director of business unit “Foreign company” Andrey Smelkov, the decision on sale is accepted “for a number of business reasons and other circumstances.” In connection with this transaction, MTS has planned the cancellation of about three billion rubles in the third quarter of 2016. The amount will be decided later.
The whole staff of the Russian companies operating in Uzbekistan, in addition to General Director of JV UMS Dmitry Nagornykh, left the country, were announced yesterday “Interfax” with reference to sources.
According to sources, the Agency, the transaction may be one of the conditions of settlement of the anti-corruption investigation, which leads the U.S. justice Department in relation to the MTS and local companies associated with the daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, Gulnara.
At the end of March 2016 UMS were served, according to AC&M-Consulting, 1.3 million people — 6 percent of subscribers in Uzbekistan. As reported by “Vedomosti”, until mid-2012, has worked in Uzbekistan absolute “daughter” MTS “Uzdunrobita”, which was the market leader, and served 39 percent of subscribers. In the summer of 2012, after fleeing from the country Director of “Uzdunrobita” Bekhzod Akhmedov, the government bankrupted the operator. Two years later, shareholders of MTS have managed to agree on establishing a joint venture.
MTS began work in Uzbekistan in 2004, buying 33% “Uzdunrobita” for 100 million dollars from the Gibraltar Swisdorn associated with “a close relative of the President of Uzbekistan”, the newspaper reports, citing data from the office of the Federal court in the southern district of new York. Another 41 percent of MTS bought for $ 21 million from an unnamed seller from the USA. In 2007, the company purchased from Swisdorn the remaining 26 percent, “Uzdunrobita” for $ 250 million. In 2008-2009, transferred another $ 30 million in Takilant, the Gibraltar address associated, according to court documents, “a close relative of the President of Uzbekistan.
