Dhaka: The Appellate Division on Thursday stayed for three days the High Court order that stayed the decision of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to freeze all the bank accounts of mobile phone operator Robi on charge of dodging VAT.

A four-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, passed the order after hearing a petition filed by NBR.

Earlier on Wednesday, the NBR filed a petition challenging the High Court stay order.

With this order, NBR decision remained upheld to freeze Robi accounts, said Deputy Attorney General SM Moniruzzaman.

Earlier, the HC on Tuesday stayed the decision of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to freeze all the bank accounts of mobile phone operator Robi on charge of dodging VAT after hearing a petition filed by the mobile phone company.

Barrister Tanjib-ul Islam moved for Robi while Deputy Attorney General SM Moniruzzaman represented the state in the court.

Earlier on Monday, the NBR directed all the commercial banks to freeze the bank accounts of Robi for the next three days saying the telecom operator evaded Tk 18.72 crore Value Added Tax (VAT) and Supplementary Duty (SD).

The Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) under the Value Added Tax (VAT) wing of the NBR sent letters to all the banks mentioning that the VAT on account of unpaid SD as per trial balance is worth Tk 10,35,26,095, while VAT on space and establishment rent is worth Tk 6,74, 83, 761, SD and VAT on less disclosed SIM (subscriber identity module) amounts to Tk 81, 06, 202 and unpaid VAT on inter-connection service charge of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL) is Tk 81, 71, 974.

Meanwhile, Robi said it has successfully concluded outstanding administrative and process matters with the NBR.

As the second largest mobile communications provider for Bangladesh, Robi has demonstrated the highest standards of governance and commitment to contribute to the development of the Bangladesh telecommunication industry.

The company will continue to work closely with relevant authorities in an open and transparent manner to ensure strict adherence to regulations and laws governing business and industry in Bangladesh, it said.