Africa’s largest mobile operator MTN on Monday said it was going through allegations that it paid protection money to militant Islamist groups in Afghanistan, reported Reuters.
According to a legal complaint filed in the United States District Court in the District of Columbia on Friday, the South African telecoms giant violated US anti-terrorism laws by paying protection money to al Qaeda and the Taliban to refrain from attacking their business interests and providing material support to known terrorist organizations.
It is accused that the alleged payments by MTN and five other companies helped finance a Taliban-led insurgency that led to the attacks in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2017. The legal complaint sought damages on behalf of families of US citizens killed in attacks in Afghanistan.
“MTN is reviewing the details of the report and is consulting its advisers but remains of the view that it conducts its business in a responsible and compliant manner in all its territories,” MTN said in a statement.
The telecoms company said it conducts its business in a responsible and compliant manner in all its territories.
MTN spokeswoman Nompilo Morafo said the company is still going through the details about the allegations in the report.
“We cannot comment further than what we’ve said in the statement,” Morafo said. “We want a chance to review the allegations. We only received the suit on Friday and we’re still going through it. I also can’t confirm how long it’s going to take.”
With around 243.7 million subscribers, MTN is Africa’s largest mobile operator and eighth biggest in the world.
The complaint also names G4S Holdings International and its subsidiaries, Florida-based Centerra Group, the Tennessee firm Janus Global Operations, Canada-based Louis Berger Group and its subsidiaries and affiliates, the Maryland company DAI Global, and Kansas firm Black & Veatch Special Projects.
