Bloomberg: "STC" is close to the Portuguese Altis Origins

The Saudi telecommunications company “STC” has emerged as the highest offer to buy the Portuguese “Altice” work, which is an important exit for businessman Patrick Darai, who, according to people who are familiar with the case, wants to reduce the blame in his communication group. The sources said that the communications business in the Middle East had made the highest purchase offer to acquire the business. Altis asked the remaining other applicants to review their offers, according to the people who asked not to reveal their identity for the privacy of information. People revealed that the Warburg Pincus opposes -coalition (which also includes the procurement business “Zeno Partners” and the former president of “Credit Swiss” Antonio Horta -Sosorio), indicated that he was not intended to increase his offer. According to the people, the discussions also delayed with the French company “Iliad” – owned by the billionaire in the field of communications, Zavier Neil. Patrick Darai (founder and owner of the majority) hopes to earn up to 10 billion euros from the sale of “Altis” assets, although potential applicants find it difficult to meet these expectations, according to “Bloomberg”. People have said that an agreement can take at least a few weeks. Altis’s high price expectations make it difficult to reach an agreement, and it is not certain that negotiations will end according to humans. Some of them said that the sale of the Saudi telecommunications business, which is partly owned by the state, can be seen as a more politically sensitive, and that it can choose another buyer ‘Altis’. The representatives of “Altis”, “Eliad”, the Saudi telecommunications business, and the “Warberg” Alliance, have stopped them from commenting. Al -darayi attempts to sell assets to pay some of the $ 60 billion debt, which accumulated during years of acquisitions. The assets of “Altis” in Portugal include “Meo” – which provides fixed and wireless communication lines and paid television services in the country – as well as an interest in the optical fiber network he owns in collaboration with the “Morgan Stanley” infrastructure arm. Bloomberg published on Friday that the French prosecutors opened their own initial investigation into a possible corruption linked to the company “Altis”, a few months after the arrest of co -founder Armando Pereira and other commercial partners in Portugal. A three -year -old Portuguese investigation exacerbated the allegations of corruption and tax fraud last summer, reaching the temporary detention of “Pereira”, the co -worker of the “Altis” business and the former CEO of operations. Released on bail of 10 million euros. His lawyers said he was looking for his name, while Altis said she was a victim of alleged offenses in Portugal and that she would work with the authorities.