A Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration has turned down a claim by Turkish mobile phone operator Turkcell against Iran.
“The lawsuit filed by Turkcell against the Islamic Republic of Iran has been struck down after nearly six years of effort and legal defense [by Iran],” Press TV reported, citing an unidentified official.
The official said that the court ordered the Turkish company to pay arbitration costs of $1.5 million in favor of Iran.
Back in January 2008, Turkcell lodged a complaint against the Iranian government, claiming that Tehran had violated the company’s contractual rights in relation to Iran’s second operator cell phone auction. The lawsuit was part of a dispute between Turkcell and its South African rival operator MTN over a tender for running mobile services in Iran back in 2008.
Claiming that it had won the bid in the auction, Turkcell had demanded $600 million in compensation.
The Iranian government rejected the claims by submitting reliable and necessary evidence, saying that the claims do not fall within the context of the agreement on encouraging and supporting Iran-Turkey investment.
