Satyam's Qatar plan on track: official

Scandal-hit Satyam Computer Services has said it will go ahead with its plans to establish a wholly-owned branch in Qatar, it was reported here today.

Satyam Head (Asia Pacific, Middle East, India and Africa) Virender Aggarwal, is quoted to have told the Gulf Times that the company is committed to customers in Qatar.

Satyam Computer Services has already received the first clearance from the Qatar government for branch operations in the country, Singapore-based Aggarwal told the newspaper.
  "Qatar is an important market for Satyam. It also provides transformational services and solutions to our customers," Aggarwal said in response to a question relating the scandal that led to the resignation of the companys founder-chairman Ramalinga Raju.

The company has been providing consulting, systems integration and outsourcing solutions to some Qatari companies for a year now. Over 100 Satyam consultants are currently based in Qatar and it has a "strong order book" here.

"We want to build on that. My feeling is that Qatar also looks for more commitment from large vendors like us in terms of local structure and operations rather than doing everything from abroad," Aggarwal said.

According to him, the company's revenue in the Middle East region had increased three-fold in the six months up to September.

Satyam has clients in some 65 countries including Qatar.

On December 1, PTI had reported that Satyam is looking to establish a 100 per cent owned entity in Qatar and has already obtained the first clearance from the local government for branch operations.

"We are currently awaiting commercial tax registration and completion of other formalities before we can set up our wholly-owned operations in Qatar," Aggarwal had then said.