Wireless Business Solutions (WBS) has again asked for Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA) councillor Joseph Lebooa to be withdrawn from the regulator’s investigation into the firm’s alleged licence fees debts.
In a statement, the iBurst and Broadlink parent company said Lebooa needed to be removed from the investigation as he was “clearly conflicted”.
ICASA is investigating WBS over licence fees it claims the company owes, with Lebooa having said in the past there are “hundreds” of non-compliant licencees.
WBS has asked once before for the councillor to be taken off the case, after Lebooa claimed he was threatened with his life, hijacked, beaten and then taken for a three hour hell ride by antagonists sent by WBS over his part in the investigation.
The company denies the claims, and laid a complaint of Crimen Injuria against the councillor.
“What concerns us greatly now though is that to continue to allow this person, who harbours such acrimonious feelings towards the company, and who has made such serious criminal allegations against WBS, to be in charge of reaching a settlement with us shows a serious discord of action,” WBS said in its latest statement.
“The regulator cannot be acting in good faith or be predisposed to a fair settlement between us through such a conflicted negotiator.
“How does this individual, who has claimed to have been beaten up by criminals sent by WBS, be expected to act objectively when dealing with that same company? Whichever way you look at it, he is just too conflicted.”
ICASA raided six of WBS’s facilities two weeks ago, confiscating equipment and causing downtime for iBurst and Broadlink.
WBS says Lebooa authorised the raid “without endorsement by the rest of the council and despite the ongoing discussions between the parties.”
The company said their main goal was to reach a fair settlement and pay ICASA what they were owed. It has criticised the regulator for causing “malicious damage” to the confiscated equipment, but says it can afford to pay if necessary the ZAR60 million (US$6.7 million) ICASA says it is owed in unpaid spectrum licence fees.
