France Telecom faces payback time
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Posted in Financial News, 30th June 2004 09:49 GMT
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France Telecom is likely to have to pay back €1bn in illegal subsidies it received from the French government, following an 18-month investigation by Mario Monti, the EC Competition Commissioner.
The allegations against France Telecom come in two parts:
- That the French government offered favourable tax rates, worth as much as €1bn, to unfairly favour the company between 1994 and 2002.
- That either the French government offered the telco a line of credit, or that comments from the government to suggest such credit amounted to favourable treatment.
Originally, the Commission investigated a €9bn line of credit - but could not prove it existed. It is now looking at whether comments by French government ministers in themselves offered illegal support. A decision in the case is expected before the Commission's August break. ®
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