Ericsson seek Ambani arrest over unpaid RCom bill

Ericsson has filed its second contempt petition against Reliance Communications in the Indian Supreme Court asking for Chairman Anil Ambani to be arrested.

The dispute between Ericsson and Reliance Communications is not a new one, though this certainly steps the conflict up a level. With previous lawsuits focusing on unpaid bills, Ericsson has requested be detained in civil prison and be barred from travel overseas unless he can guarantee the payment of 550 crore rupees (roughly $79 million) owed for various products and services.

According to The Economic Times, Ambani has previously given guarantees in court that the debt would be repaid to the Swedish vendor, though since the December 15 deadline is firmly in the past Ericsson executives have gotten twitchy. The last filing asks Ambani be detained until there are concrete guarantees the bill will be paid.

Having missed the original payment in September, Ambani and Reliance Communications were given until December 15 to find the cash, though this has proved more difficult than expected. Ambani is in a bit of a stalemate at the moment, as while he will not want to be arrested, payment somewhat relies on the sale of licenced spectrum assets to Reliance Jio, a transaction which is being held up by the Department of Telecommunications.

This deal is currently in limbo, as while the National Company Appellate Law Tribunal has given the green light for the sale (and told the Department of Telecommunications to clear it), the hold-up is concerning cash. The Department is standing its ground, stating it is not possible to clear the deal unless there was clarity on payment of dues and associated charges. Reliance Jio CEO Mukesh Ambani has stated the company would not be prepared to take any liable for dues owed by Reliance Communications.

With all parties refusing to give in the road ahead does not look like a pleasant one. Not only has his telco business suffered due to the success of his brother’s disruptive influence on the market, but in refusing to accept liability Mukesh is pushing further misery, and a potential jail sentence, onto Anil.

On the other side of the coin, Mukesh’s Reliance Jio is having a much happier time. The latest figures from TRAI suggest the telco grew its subscriber base by more than 10 million, taking total market share up to 22.46%.

That said, family disputes mean nothing to the Swedes. Ericsson will seemingly push ahead to recover the debt, whatever the cost.