Tribunal fines MultiChoice N100,000, as directors risk jail over subscription price hike

The Competition and Consumer Protection (CCP) tribunal has fined MultiChoice N100,000 amid a case against the company involving subscription price hike and contempt of court.

MultiChoice was penalised by the tribunal on Thursday for failing to provide a response to a substantive suit regarding the price hike after the three-member tribunal presided over by Thomas Okosun gave tbe firm 21 days to do so.

In its defense, MultiChoice’s lawyer, Jamiu Agoro, said the tribunal needed to resolve the issue about jurisdiction before judging the substantive suit, as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) was the appropriate authority to first hear the case.

Agoro explained that the tribunal can only be approached if the complainant, legal practitioner, Festus Onifade, is not satisfied with the FFCPC resolution.

However, Onifade said he tabled the issue before FCCPC since May 2020, on behalf of himself and the Nigerian consumer, but the commission has not acted on his case, hence, his reason for approaching the tribunal.

Read also:Appeal court orders MultiChoice, DSTV to hand show license to Metro Digital

MultiChoice directors risk imprisonment

Meanwhile, Onifade said MultiChoice violated the order of the tribunal, after the court issued an ex-parte on March 30, 2022, directing the company to maintain status quo and not increase its subscription.

MultiChoice had disclosed before then that it will raise subscription price on April 1, and it will go ahead with the hike despite the tribunal ordering it to suspend the decision. Agoro claimed that the mechanisms had already been put in place to automatically implement before the tribunal’s directive.

However, Onifade said the act was a disrespect to the court, and the directors of MultiChoice must “show cause why they should not be committed to prison for willful disobedience of the order of this honourable tribunal granted on March 30 2022.”

And “show cause why MultiChoice should not be made to pay 10% of its annual turnover for contravention or failure to, comply with an interim order of this honourable tribunal.”

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