Brazil’s antitrust regulator Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica (Administrative Council for Economic Defense, or Cade) approved on Wednesday, without limitation, Vivendi’s acquisition of GVT Holding, controller of local telco Global Village Telecom (GVT). The French telecoms and entertainment group originally signed the USD7.2 billion takeover deal in November 2009.
In January this year the national telecoms regulator Anatel ratified Vivendi’s takeover of GVT, ‘without constraint’. The watchdog had previously given the green light to the acquisition and in December 2010 Vivendi reached a final agreement with Brazil’s stock market regulator CVM. At the time it was reported that Vivendi agreed to pay the regulator approximately EUR67 million (USD89 million) to conclude an investigation opened by the watchdog following Vivendi’s acquisition of the Brazilian firm. With no attribution of any ‘wrongdoing’ on the French firm’s part, the decision drew to a close a matter that had rumbled on for more than a year.