MTN says it operates a clean business in Cameroon, despite that country\u2019s anti-corruption board saying that the mobile network owes R1.5 billion in taxes.<\/p>\n
A probe by Cameroon\u2019s National Anti-corruption Commission (CONAC) into the country\u2019s telecoms sector claims that MTN and Orange each respectively owe nearly 52bn CFA francs (R1.5 billion) and 48 billion CFA francs (R1.3 billion) in taxes and royalties, according to a Reuters report.<\/p>\n
Other carriers such as Camtel and Viettel were also implicated as CONAC\u2019s study found that a total of 176 billion CFA francs (R4.9 billion) had gone unpaid from various companies, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n
But MTN says it has nothing to hide and that the company is \u201cup to date with all its fiscal obligations in the country\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done nothing wrong,\u201d MTN\u2019s group executive for corporate affairs, Chris Maroleng, told Fin24.<\/p>\n
“MTN Cameroon is not and has never been implicated in corruption-related action in the exercise of its activities.<\/p>\n
“So, MTN Cameroon affirms that its interaction with the government of Cameroon and its representatives has always been transparent and in conformity with laws of the republic of Cameroon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
CONAC was established in 2006 following a presidential decree and it is a public independent body whose mission is to monitor and evaluate the country\u2019s anti-corruption programme.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear at this stage whether Cameroon\u2019s government will act on CONAC\u2019s findings. Fin24 understands that MTN is waiting to receive the report and that the company hasn\u2019t been fined.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Cameroon is one of 22 markets in the Middle East and Africa where MTN operates.<\/p>\n
MTN has around 10 million subscribers in Cameroon, according to the company\u2019s quarterly report for the period ending September 2015.<\/p>\n
The emergence of the taxes report in Cameroon by CONAC also comes as MTN is fighting a $3.9bn fine in Nigeria where the company is accused of failing to disconnect five million unregistered SIM cards in a timely manner.<\/p>\n
Fin24<\/a><\/p>\n MTN hit with R1.5 billion tax penalty in Cameroon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n MTN posts R15.8 billion profit in Nigeria<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Nigerian court rejects application to freeze MTN accounts: report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n MTN in stand-off over massive fine: report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on MTN<\/h3>\n