MTN Refutes Reports of Security Raid on Their Offices

Telecom company, MTN Uganda, has regarded as false reports by government owned newspaper, New Vision, indicating that security on Friday raided their Kololo offices.

This comes amid deportation of four of the company’s top staff over security concerns, latest being Chief Executive Officer, Wim Vanhelleputte on Thursday.

Others earlier deported include Olivier Prentout (French) who was Chief marketing officer, Annie Tabura, a Rwandan national, who was MTN’s General Manager for sales and distribution as well as, Ezra Muzzolini (Italian) who was General Manager Mobile Financial Services at MTN Uganda.

Sunday Vision, published on February 17, indicates that on Friday, operatives of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) raided Nyonyi Gardens offices and “recovered items vital to their current investigations on espionage and tax evasion.”

The story further shows that “they also took with them some computers and vital documents that would aid them in their investigations.”

Now, MTN Uganda in a statement has refuted the reports and says they are false and inaccurate.

“The published article on pages 3-4 of the said newspaper contains sensational details of a raid allegedly conducted at MTN administrative offices in Kololo at midday on Friday 15th February 2019,” reads part of the statement by MTN.

“MTN Uganda would like to clarify that it was not the subject of any ISO raid on Friday 15th February 2019 as alleged by the article. We have subsequently requested the editor of the Sunday Vision to correct the inaccuracies reported in the newspaper,” adds the statement.

On Saturday, the same newspaper published a story in which they reported that the Company’s Chairperson, Charles Mbire was also on Friday quizzed and interrogated by ISO. Mbire has since come out to refute the reports.