MTN to appeal Nigeria fine

Nieuws Mobiel Nigeria 18 DEC 2015
MTN to appeal Nigeria fine
MTN Group has instructed its lawyers to proceed with a legal action in the Federal High Court in Lagos seeking relief on the NGN 780 billion fine imposed on the mobile operator. The group said MTN Nigeria's legal advice was that the fine and its amount were not in line with the NCC's powers under the Nigerian Communications Act and therefore there are valid grounds upon which to challenge the fine. 

MTN Group said it also would continue to engage with the Nigerian authorities to try and ensure an amicable resolution to the matter. The fine relates to the late disconnection of 5.1 million MTN Nigeria subscribers in August and September for failure to register their personal details under regulatory requirements. The initial penalty was later reduced by 35 percent. MTN was given a deadline of 31 December to pay the fine. 

Categories:

Mobiel

Companies:

MTN Nigeria,  NCC

Countries:

Nigeria

Tags:

Regulations, Wholesale, Legislation - Lawsuits

Related Articles

AFRIKA 14 APR 2016

MTN close to fine resolution amid CEO exit - report

MTN Group is close to striking a deal with Nigerian authorities over a NGN 780 billion fine imposed in 2015, Bloomberg reported, adding that the group's interim CEO Phuthuma Nhleko is reportedly preparing to step down. Nhleko, who took on the executive chairman's role on a temporary basis after the resignation of then-CEO Sifiso Dabengwa in November 2015, is making plans to leave his post in May, sources close to the matter said. The source said Nhleko would not return to a non-executive role before he came

NIGERIA 10 FEB 2016

Nigeria insists MTN must pay Simcard registration fine

Nigerian ICT Minister Adebayo Shittu has insisted that MTN must pay a substantial part of the NGN 780 billion fine imposed on it for Simcard registration guideline infractions before any out of court settlement could be honoured, The Independent reported. Shittu said MTN violated extant laws for which it accepted responsibility and wrote a letter of apology, promising to be a responsible corporate citizen.

NIGERIA 3 FEB 2016

Former US attorney-general joins MTN Nigeria case - report

MTN has hired former US Attorney General Eric Holder to help fight the multi-billion-dollar fine imposed on the mobile operator by Nigerian authorities. Holder made an initial visit to Abuja last month to plead with senior Nigerian officials on MTN's behalf, people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. During his time as attorney general from 2009-2015, Holder participated in a number of major settlements with corporations such as JPMorgan Chase over mortgage-backed securities and BP over the H

NIGERIA 20 JAN 2016

MTN Nigeria sees FY profit at around NGN 190 billion

MTN Group said its Nigerian business is likely to report about USD 955 million in annual profit after tax, confirming a newspaper report. Nigerian paper This Day reported that the Nigerian mobile operator is expected to post an annual profit of NGN 190 billion, and MTN said in a statement that this is within the current estimate, but subject to finalisation and audit. The result compares to a fine of NGN 780 billion imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission on MTN Nigeria for failure to disconnect c

NIGERIA 19 JAN 2016

MTN mulls withdrawal from Nigeria, won't pay fine - report

MTN Nigeria will not pay the NGN 780 billion fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for failing to deactivate unregistered SIM cards on its network. A top MTN official told Business Journal that the telecom operator has perfected two strategies to avoid paying the fine to NCC. He said the operator will not "pay a single penny or dime to the NCC." The official said MTN has already instructed seven top lawyers in Nigeria to handle its legal action against NCC to keep the matter perpetual

NIGERIA 14 JAN 2016

Nigerian court rejects govt bid to freeze MTN accounts

Nigeria's Federal High Court in Lagos has declined to rule on a demand by the government to freeze MTN Nigeria's funds in the country. The application for an injunction was targeted at barring MTN from emptying its accounts in 21 commercial banks in the country, making it unable to pay the NGN 780 billion fine imposed on the mobile operator by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for its failure to deactivate unregistered subscribers. According to ThisDay, the Attorney General of the Federation and

NIGERIA 31 DEC 2015

MTN Nigeria to continue to seek reduction in fine - source

MTN Nigeria says it will continue to lobby the Federal Government for another reduction in the fine imposed on it, The Guardian reported, as the payment deadline expires on 31 December. MTN was fined in October for flouting the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) directive to deactivate 5.1 million pre-registered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards from its network. The penalty has already been reduced from NGN 1.04 trillion to NGN 780 billion.

NIGERIA 30 DEC 2015

NCC says Lagos court lacks jurisdiction for MTN case

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has challenged the competence of the suit filed against it by MTN Nigeria, Daily Trust reported. The NCC fined MTN NGN 1.04 trillion for allegedly breaching directives. MTN filed the suit before the Lagos Federal High Court, seeking to void NCC's decision to penalise it, among other things for failing to register about 5.2 million subscribers by a given deadline.

NIGERIA 23 DEC 2015

Nigeria warns MTN may face more fines if deadline missed

MTN risks facing additional fines if it does not meet the year-end deadline to pay the NGN 780 billion imposed already, Nigerian authorities have warned. Nigeria's Communications Minister Adebayo Shittu said that his country will not be cowed or threatened by MTN's announced court challenge of the fine, The Independent reports. Shittu said the decision by the company to approach the Lagos High Court put it at risk of another fine if it failed to meet the deadline. Shittu said while MTN had the right to seek

NIGERIA 4 DEC 2015

Nigeria says MTN fine reduced by 25% and not 35%

MTN Group said the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued another letter, informing the company that the fine had actually been reduced by 25 percent to NGN 780 billion and not by 35 percent to NGN 674 billion as the regulator had earlier indicated in its letter dated 2 December to MTN. The mobile operator had on 3 December informed its shareholders that it received a formal letter dated 2 December from the NCC informing the company that, after considering MTN's request, it had taken the decisi

NIGERIA 3 DEC 2015

NCC reduces MTN fine to USD 3.4 billion

MTN Group's negotiations with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have led to the fine against the operator being reduced to the equivalent of USD 3.4 billion from USD 5.2 billion previously. In a statement, MTN said it received a formal letter dated 2 December from the NCC informing the company that, after considering the company's request, it has taken the decision to reduce the fine on MTN Nigeria from the original NGN 1.04 trillion to NGN 674 billion, to be paid by 31 December. The fine relates

NIGERIA 26 NOV 2015

President to decide on MTN Nigeria USD 5.2 bln fine

Nigeria's communications ministry said that it is up to President Muhammadu Buhari to decide "in which direction to go" with a USD 5.2 billion fine imposed on mobile phone network operator MTN, Reuters reported. Communications minister Adebayo Shittu said in Lagos that it will be up to the president to determine which direction to go since MTN asked for leniency. The South African firm was fined by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the end of October for not disconnecting 5.2 million unregiste

NIGERIA 16 NOV 2015

Nigeria defers deadline for MTN to pay fine

MTN Group said the Nigerian telecom regulator has waived the 16 November deadline to settle a USD 5.2 billion fine for failing to disconnect 5.2 million unregistered customers. In a statement to its shareholders, MTN said its executive chairman Phuthuma Nhleko personally met with the Nigerian authorities to continue the ongoing discussions on the fine. It said these discussions include matters of non-compliance and the remedial measures that may have to be adopted to address this. The Nigerian authorities a

AFRIKA 9 NOV 2015

MTN Group CEO resigns over Nigeria fine

MTN Group CEO Sifiso Dabengwa has resigned with immediate effect. A statement from the company said Phuthuma Nhleko, the current non-executive chairman has agreed to act as executive chairman for up to six months while the company identifies a successor for Dabengwa. In his resignation, Dabengwa said "due to the most unfortunate prevailing circumstances occurring at MTN Nigeria," he has in the interest of the company and its shareholders tendered his resignation with immediate effect. Nhleko was CEO until

NIGERIA 6 NOV 2015

MTN seeks to have Nigerian fine cut by 60-80% - report

MTN Group is trying to get the USD 5.2 billion fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reduced by as much as 80 percent and might borrow money from banks to help settle the penalty, Bloomberg reported. It said that the head of research at Renaissance Capital (RenCap) in Nigeria, Adesoji Solanke, shared a note with clients, where he said MTN is seeking to have the fine cut by 60 percent to 80 percent. According to Bloomberg, a second lender said MTN is considering borrowing from banks, a

Just In

19 DEC 16:42

SLT-Mobitel launches 5G network in Sri Lanka

19 DEC 16:19

Dialog Axiata launches 5G network, connects 1.5 million subscribers

19 DEC 15:56

UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls

19 DEC 15:42

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale

Commentary

13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

15:26

Stock markets breaking records but what happened to Odido's IPO plans?

Background

01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation

01:39

The week in telecom: Netflix wins bidding for Warner Bros, Apple poaches new execs, Samsung debuts trifold

13:51

Proximus vs. Telenet: Proximus performs better in Q3 while Telenet uses up cash

14:16

Proximus Domestic still struggling with low margins

Complete profile

Before downloading the whitepaper, we would like to ask you to complete your profile with company and position. After confirming you will receive the white paper.