Colombia’s government on Wednesday issued TV and telecoms giant Claro the largest fine in the country’s history.
The Superintendent of Industry and Commerce announced that it would be imposing a fine of $45 million on the company for breaching laws about fair competition.
Claro allegedly prevented customers from using the bandwidth of another operator on their mobile phones, for which they were fined $27 million. They were also accused of inflating figures relating to the number of their mobile phone users, for which they incurred a further $17 million fine.
The Superintendent also wants to establish if there is sufficient evidence to charge the president of Claro, Juan Carlos Archila, for his alleged collaboration in the suspicious business practices.
Claro was formerly known as Comcel S.A, but changed its name in 2012 following the purchase of its operations by Mexican telecoms company Movil, owned by Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world worth an estimated $73 billion.
MORE: Colombian telecommunications companies Comcel, Telmex to change name
Sources
- Statement of Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio
- Histórica multa a Comcel hoy Claro, por violar régimen de competencia (CM&)
- Claro profile (BN Americas)
- Carlos Slim Helu & family (Forbes)
