The Mobile Telephone Network Group (MTN Group), has been accused of sponsoring terrorism.
The allegation leveled against the telecom giant is contained in an anti-terrorism compliant filed by 53 American families in a US District Court in New York.
Filing the complaint on behalf of the families, Washington DC based law firm Sparacino PLLC, noted the complaint follows an extensive investigation, including thousands of hours investigating the terrorist campaign in Iraq and how Hezbollah and similar terrorists funded themselves through illicit corporate deals with companies like MTN.
According to the plaintiffs, MTN knowingly supported a terrorist campaign that attacked, killed and wounded thousands of Americans in Iraq.
The plaintiffs further allege that MTN provided funds, resources, technology and equipment, all useful for the terrorist campaign, to terrorist fronts controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including the Qods Force, such as the Ayatollah’s personal foundation, the Bonyad Mostazafan, which served to raise money and obtain weapons for the very terrorists who were murdering Americans in Iraq.
Ryan Sparacino, managing partner of Sparacino PLLC, says: “Plaintiffs allege in the complaint that while Americans were risking their lives between 2011 and 2016 to help rebuild Iraq after nearly a decade of terrorist attacks sponsored by Iran, MTN and ZTE substantially assisted the terrorists by engaging in illicit transactions with Iranian fronts that they knew, or recklessly disregarded, the terrorists used to obtain money and weapons to attack Americans in Iraq.
“The complaint alleges that MTN and ZTE aided and abetted terrorism in Iraq by providing the terrorists with critical funding, weapons, and/or weapons components, and in some cases active operational support. As alleged, Hezbollah and its Iraqi terrorist proxies openly proclaimed their intention to kill Americans in Iraq, and the US government publicly opposed transactions with the fronts that funded them.
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“Consider MTN, which, as alleged in the complaint, serves as an official joint venture partner with Iranian fronts for terrorists. After investors asked MTN about the risks of being in a joint venture with its Iranian partners, the complaint alleges MTN ‘laughed off questions about the political risk of doing business with Iran’, with MTN’s then-CEO chuckling to investors that ‘[MTN] hadn’t budgeted for bomb shelters or anything like that’. If an American jury is allowed to hear evidence of what MTN has done, MTN will no longer laugh about its choice to do business in Iran.”
But MTN in a statement denied the allegations asserting that,“On 22 June 2021, a complaint for violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The complaint was filed on behalf of American service members and civilians, and their families, who were killed or wounded in Iraq between 2011 and 2016.”
“The complaint alleges that telecom companies indirectly supported the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps by, inter alia, doing business with Iranian companies. The defendants named in the complaint are two different telecoms, one of which is MTN and certain of its affiliates including Irancell (MTN holds 49% equity interest in Irancell).”
“MTN is reviewing the details of the complaint 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 and so intends to defend its position where necessary.”
“MTN Group is committed to continued compliance with all applicable laws and continues to monitor all developments to ensure it acts in accordance with applicable laws.”
But MTN has denied allegations of supporting terrorism asserting that, “MTN conducts its business in a responsible and compliant manner in all its territories and will defend its position where necessary.”
With files from bloomberg and reuters
