StarTimes has berated Senate’s Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning which recently reported that N200 billion gain from a joint venture between the Nigerian Television Authority and the StarTimes Group was missing.
The company said it was a lie and demanded a forensic audit on its finances and operations if the government wished to carry out an audit.
In a statement signed by the Public Relations Manager, StarTimes Nigeria, Lazarus Ibeabuchi, the company said: “We also want to clarify that no revenue is missing as gross earnings have been repeatedly ploughed back into the cost of production to cover the cost of components, namely transmitters, equipment, generating sets and satellite; content acquisition; as well as operating costs, which include salaries and other running costs, incurred within our ten years of operation.
“NTA-Star TV Network Limited is a responsible corporate organisation, with our business activities conforming to statutory laws and regulations. Our accounts are audited by one of the big four audit firms in the world, widely known for their integrity and professionalism in the audit field. Aside from our statutory audits being carried out by external auditors, our financial activities are fully audited by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.
Ibeabuchi, however, said the company regretted the outcome of the Senate hearing, saying it amounts to a media trial without proper due diligence.
He said, to that extent, StarTimes was open to a proper investigation into its operations and financials.
