At the General Assembly of the largest Croatian telecom operator, there were no surprises, and all proposed decisions were made with the presence of more than 67 percent of shareholders. The most interesting decision for minority shareholders is regarding the dividend, which will be paid on May 17 in the amount of 34.05 kuna per share, and in addition, the company’s statute was amended, and the Management Board’s mandate for the purchase of treasury shares was extended.
The business performance of the T-HT group in 2009 was somewhat worse than the previous business year, but the company experienced a much smaller decline than the entire Croatian economy, emphasized the CEO Ivica Mudrinić in the report to shareholders.
Kalmeta: If it were up to me, the state would sell HT shares
The Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Božidar Kalmeta, who attended the assembly on behalf of the state, briefly told reporters that the government has not yet decided whether and how to sell the remaining HT shares from the state portfolio. ‘Personally, I believe that the government should get rid of that part of the portfolio,’ said Kalmeta.
Mudrinić added that the financial results of the Group were affected, in addition to the crisis, by a special tax on certain telecommunications services, and he also stated that the company is continuously seeking opportunities for acquisitions in the region.
The decision on profit distribution determined that a dividend of 34.05 kuna per share (a total of 2.778 billion kuna) will be paid. Additionally, by majority vote, the company’s name was changed to Hrvatski Telekom d.d. The amendment to the company’s statute added new activities related to the creation of cadastres and geodetic services, and the mandate of the Management Board was extended to acquire its own shares up to a maximum amount of 10 percent of the share capital. (Amir Kulenović)
