Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      The real cost of a cashless economy

      16 July 2025

      Larry Ellison, 80, is now world’s second richest person

      16 July 2025

      Solly Malatsi seeks out-of-court deal in TV migration fight

      15 July 2025

      South Africa’s telcos battle to monetise 5G as 4G suffices for most

      15 July 2025

      Major new electric car brand launching in South Africa

      15 July 2025
    • World

      Grok 4 arrives with bold claims and fresh controversy

      10 July 2025

      Samsung’s bet on folding phones faces major test

      10 July 2025

      Bitcoin pushes higher into record territory

      10 July 2025

      OpenAI to launch web browser in direct challenge to Google Chrome

      10 July 2025

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025
    • In-depth

      The 1940s visionary who imagined the Information Age

      14 July 2025

      MultiChoice is working on a wholesale overhaul of DStv

      10 July 2025

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | MVNX on the opportunities in South Africa’s booming MVNO market

      11 July 2025

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      A smarter approach to digital transformation in ICT distribution

      15 July 2025

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » MTN shares dip on new allegations it paid terrorist groups

    MTN shares dip on new allegations it paid terrorist groups

    By Duncan McLeod8 June 2020
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter

    MTN Group shares fell slightly on Monday after reports emerged that it was facing further claims in a US court that it paid protection money to terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

    Media reports began emerging on Saturday that the telecommunications group is facing new allegations of aiding the Taliban and al-Queda in the war-torn Middle Eastern country, where MTN operates a mobile network.

    MTN shares dipped by more than 4.6% in intraday trading on Monday morning as investors absorbed the news, but they later regained some composure. As at 1.32pm in Johannesburg, they were trading just 0.8% lower at R57.76 apiece.

    The suit was filed in a Washington, DC court on 27 December 2019 on behalf of American service members and civilians

    The new allegations build on a lawsuit filed against MTN last December, in which it’s alleged the group paid protection money to the Taliban in Afghanistan, endangering the lives of US servicemen and women.

    The suit was filed in a Washington, DC court on 27 December 2019 on behalf of American service members and civilians, and their families, who were killed or wounded in the troubled Middle Eastern country between 2009 and 2017.

    The complaint alleged that several Western businesses supported the Taliban by making payments to ensure the protection of their infrastructure — in MTN’s case, its cellphone towers. The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group waging a religious war, of jihad, in Afghanistan.

    Amended complaint

    IOL reported that the new, amended complaint was filed on Friday by Washington-based law firms. The amended complaint alleges that MTN violated the US Anti-Terrorism Act by paying protection money of more than US$100-million to al-Qaeda and the Taliban so its cellular towers would not be destroyed.

    In April, MTN filed a motion to dismiss the matter in the US court. It said at the time that the case shouldn’t be allowed to proceed because the court lacked jurisdiction over MTN and because the complaint did not allege any conduct by MTN that would have violated the Anti-Terrorism Act.

    “Put simply, the plaintiffs have sued the wrong defendants in the wrong court based on insufficient allegations,” it said then.

    MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter said at the weekend of the expanded court challenge: “We are reviewing the new material in consultation with our legal advisers but remain of the view that we conduct our business in a responsible and compliant manner in all our territories.”  — (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media



    MTN MTN Afghanistan Rob Shuter top
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleUS’s surgical strike on HiSilicon threatens to cripple Huawei
    Next Article End load shedding: ‘Do in energy what’s been done in telecoms’

    Related Posts

    South Africa’s telcos battle to monetise 5G as 4G suffices for most

    15 July 2025

    MTN empowerment investors see ‘modest’ return as Zakhele Futhi winds up

    15 July 2025

    Spam call epidemic: operators say their hands are tied

    10 July 2025
    Company News

    Mental wellness at scale: how Mac fuels October Health’s mission

    15 July 2025

    Banking on LEO: Q-KON transforms financial services connectivity

    14 July 2025

    The future of business calling: Voys brings your landline to the cloud

    14 July 2025
    Opinion

    A smarter approach to digital transformation in ICT distribution

    15 July 2025

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.