The offer of the company, whose partners are three respectable Croatian companies, did not make it to the assessment process because it was established that the company failed to submit a good bank guarantee. Match Telecom appealed that decision.
Banca di Roma has sent a letter to the Croatian Embassy in Rome stating that it did not issue a guarantee to Match Telecom on 30 November 2004, adding that it will report the case to the Italian judiciary.
Croatian Assistant Telecommunications Minister Davor Dvornik told Croatian Television on Friday his Ministry would investigate the case and act accordingly.
Under a decision of the Croatian Telecommunications Agency's Council, dated 22 December 2004, the Tele2 company on was granted a combined concession for the second and third generation of mobile telephony.
The decision on awarding the concession to Tele 2 was adopted unanimously. The other two bidders -- Match Telecom and Croatia Mobile -- did not enter the final round of selection as they failed to submit valid bank guarantees by 3 December.
The Match Telecom company and its partner companies Ina, Koncar and the Croatian Power Industry (HEP) requested the Croatian Ministry of Transport and Development to investigate the work of the Telecommunications Agency with regard to its decision to disqualify the company's bid for a combined operating licence in mobile telephony.
The Croatian consortium Croatia Mobile also requested the Ministry to investigate the work of the Telecommunications Agency Council because it believed that in assessing bids for the third mobile operator, the Council violated the Law on Telecommunications.
The investigation confirmed that the two companies failed to submit valid bank guarantees.