The Ghana Chamber of Communications (GCC) says the invoices for property rates submitted by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to MTN and tiGO which formed the basis for the closure of the offices of the two mobile operators in Kumasi are in dispute. In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, the GCC said the telecom operators were fully aware of, and did honour all their legal and financial obligations to the state and its institutions. Additionally, it said, “as a matter of policy and principle, operators go beyond legal obligations and invest substantial sums in social projects and programmes throughout the country.” The statement, signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the GCC, Mr Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, was in reaction to a story in the Daily Graphic of Wednesday, July 13, 2011, to the effect that the offices of tiGO and MTN in Kumasi had been closed down by the KMA for defaulting in the payment of property rates. “Indeed, in accordance with the Local Government Act, 1993 (462), a 30-day notice of intended court action was served on the KMA on June 20, 2011 in order to have judicial settlement. The KMA’s action on Tuesday, therefore, came as a surprise,” it said. It said the offices of the two companies were reopened before midday on Tuesday and had since been conducting business as normal. It said the dispute over property rates was a matter of concern to all operators, adding that, that was why the GCC had taken it up. In a related development, a statement signed by Ms Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications of MTN, and issued by the company confirmed that MTN reopened its Kumasi office before midday on Tuesday for normal business following an amicable resolution of the situation with the KMA. It said the situation with the KMA was an industrial issue being addressed by the GCC on behalf of all affected operators. “MTN subscribers in Kumasi seeking to do business with MTN, as well as subscribers seeking to port to the MTN network, should feel free to visit the MTN office to have their requests attended to,” it said. “MTN Ghana has always fulfilled its obligations and remains committed to complying with all regulations, as well as partnering with all stakeholders, including the KMA, to bring world-class telecommunication services to subscribers and development to the country,” the statement stated. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana