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Top Media charged with a EUR 13 million fine
Tirana, 13 July 2007
(AENews) Albanian tax authorities charged today Top Media with a huge fine of
EUR 13 million, government sources told AENews. Top Media is the biggest media
group in the country. The biggest television station in the country Top Channel,
digital pay TV platform DigitAlb and daily newspaper Shqip, are all part of Top
Media. Tax authorities fined the company for what they said was "fiscal
fraud of a large scale since 2002". DigitAlb, the largest company of the
group, reported revenues of EUR 15 million for FY2006.
(AENews) Albanian tax authorities charged today Top Media with a huge fine of
EUR 13 million, government sources told AENews. Top Media is the biggest media
group in the country. The biggest television station in the country Top Channel,
digital pay TV platform DigitAlb and daily newspaper Shqip, are all part of Top
Media. Tax authorities fined the company for what they said was "fiscal
fraud of a large scale since 2002". DigitAlb, the largest company of the
group, reported revenues of EUR 15 million for FY2006.
For the last two
years, the media group and the right wing government have been in a continuous
state of what can be deemed a ‘political war’. Prime Minister Sali Berisha has
on many occasions accused the owner of Top Media as a criminal and a drug
dealer. Since such allegations are usual in Albanian politics, not many people
take them seriously.
years, the media group and the right wing government have been in a continuous
state of what can be deemed a ‘political war’. Prime Minister Sali Berisha has
on many occasions accused the owner of Top Media as a criminal and a drug
dealer. Since such allegations are usual in Albanian politics, not many people
take them seriously.
In the past and on
many occasions, Mr. Berisha would accuse the former Prime Minister Mr. Fatos
Nano as the “Padrino” (Mafia chief), while later he accepted that such accusations
were just "electoral language" when in January 2007, he reached a
deal with Mr. Nano.
The political
opposition considered the fine as a "Putin style government",
comparing what the Prime Minister Berisha war with Putin’s war against Russian
tycoons like Boris Berezovsky. Top Channel considered the charge as a
"govern attempt to shout down the free media". Workers of the company
and other journalists announced a protest for Monday.
A government-approved change
in fiscal law allows the tax authorities to collect part of the fine without giving
the company the opportunity to appeal it first. According to this law, Top
Media should immediately pay about EUR 8 million.
in fiscal law allows the tax authorities to collect part of the fine without giving
the company the opportunity to appeal it first. According to this law, Top
Media should immediately pay about EUR 8 million.
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on Jul 13th, 2007 and filed under Uncategorized.
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