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CEO of the Sure Group Alistair Beak said:
“This penalty is based on an investigation process which, in our view, was completely flawed from the outset and we are appealing through the Royal Court. We are steadfast in our belief that we have done nothing wrong; at all times Sure has acted in accordance with the spirit and letter of the law.
“We have now faced three different versions of the GCRA's case. Twice the GCRA has had to rewrite its case when it realised that Sure was right and that their allegations were completely baseless. Yet again, with this latest penalty process, we find ourselves facing a regulator which seems determined to find against us, in the face of clear and compelling evidence that there has been no wrongdoing.
“The magnitude of the fine is extraordinary and one which sends a potentially chilling message on conducting business and attracting investment into Guernsey. It is also a concern that there should be such a significant disparity in the fines proposed for Sure and JT. While in large measure this reflects our respective market share, the increased fine for Sure is genuinely astonishing and, from our perspective, based on a polarised and fundamentally wrong view of the evidence.
“We are appealing through the Royal Court the flawed decision on which this fine is based and remain confident that we will clear the name of Sure and prove that there has been no wrongdoing. We will also continue to stand by the members of the Sure team who have acted with integrity and professionalism throughout this process, despite the spurious claims made against them by the GCRA, which are equally fundamentally wrong.
“Inevitably we will now need to spend further time, effort and legal fees on challenging this punitive action, on top of the work already done addressing the earlier versions of the GCRA's case. We would much rather be spending our time and resources delivering the best possible service to customers and continuing our investment in the Guernsey economy through our fibre broadband project.”