A lawsuit against MTN in the US District Court of Columbia, brought by Turkcell concerning the awarding of Iran’s second mobile license to the African company in 2005, has been withdrawn.
The suit, which alleged that bribery was involved in awarding the license, was pulled yesterday by Turkcell. MTN had opposed the suit, saying that it “lacked legal merit and that there was no basis for it to be brought before a US Court” according to a statement released by the company.
MTN’s statement continues:
After becoming aware of Turkcell’s claims in February last year, the MTN Board commissioned Lord Hoffmann to lead a thorough investigation into these allegations. Then in February this year, the Committee led by Lord Hoffmann determined that Turkcell’s allegations were without foundation. The Committee concluded that they found nothing in the conduct of MTN that put at question MTN’s integrity or propriety during the period that Iran’s second mobile licence was awarded.”
MTN’s Group President and CEO Sifiso Dabengwa said in the statement “Turkcell’s decision to drop their claim was expected, however we welcome it.”
“Now that this case is behind us, we are forging ahead with great determination towards achieving MTN’s newly launched vision to deliver a bold new digital world to our customers. MTN is one of Africa’s success stories, a great company founded on innovation, courage and values of honesty”