THE SLOVAK Anti-Monopoly Office (PMÚ) greenlighted the entry of Czech businessman Petr Syrovátko into SkyToll, the company operating the electronic highway toll collection system in Slovakia. Syrovátko bought a 90-percent stake in Ibertax, which is the majority shareholder of SkyToll, via his Netherlands-based company Sevenra N.V. in May. The ruling has been valid since August 13, the SITA newswire wrote.
“The Slovak road-toll system is a technically successful project with a clear business model,” said Syrovátko, who financed the transaction via a combination of his own resources and a bank loan provided by a consortium of banks led by PPF bank. “From my point of view, this is a stable investment with development potential for the future. That’s why I’ve decided to invest in the acquisition of a majority stake.”
Over 20 years ago Syrovátko set up a construction company called Syner, which is now among the top ten Czech companies in the construction sector. In 2007, the company and its daughter companies were transformed into S Group Holding, focusing on road, civil, housing, industrial, administrative and other building projects in the Czech Republic and abroad.
SkyToll operates the electronic toll collection system for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes on about 2,400 kilometres of highways, dual-carriage ways and selected first-category roads in Slovakia. It was launched on January 1, 2010.
SkyToll collected about €156 million via the electronic system in 2011, the Hospodárske Noviny financial daily wrote.
