Telecoms giant MTN has paid an additional N30bn to the federal government as part settlement of a N330bn fine imposed on the company for not disconnecting unregistered SIM cards, according to Reuters.

Having paid N80bn in December, the current payment brings the amount paid out of the fine so far to N110bn. The fine is due for payment in six installments over three years, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

MTN Nigeria was originally fined $5.2bn last October for failing to deactivate more than five million unregistered SIM cards, but the fine was reduced in a settlement that paved the way for MTN to list its subsidiary on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

MTN, which operates in 20 countries, had set aside $600m last year to pay the fine.

Two months after making the first payment from the fine, the MTN Group declared its first full-year loss, blaming it on the fine.

Negotiations on payment of the fine lasted eight months, which saw both parties going in and out of the courts.

Tony Ojobo, the NCC’s spokesman had said by the terms of agreement, the money would be made in six tranches. He gave the breakdown as: N30bn into NCC’s treasury single account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 30 days from June 10, 2016.He said other dates and amounts of the agreements were: March 31, 2017 (N30bn)   March 31, 2018 (N55bn), December 31, 2018 (N55bn), March 31, 2019 (N55bn) and May 31, 2019 (N55bn).

Meanwhile, the MTN group awarded the Executive Chairman, Phuthuma Nhleko, 72.2 million Rand ($5.6m) in pay and bonuses last year after he negotiated a reduced fine with Nigerian regulators and shook up the senior management, Bloomberg reported.