MTN Group says it has appointed Michael Fleischer to the position of group chief legal counsel, effective 1 February 2014.<\/p>\n
Fleischer joins MTN Group from Gold Fields Limited, where he was executive vice president: general counsel. Fleischer joined Gold Fields in 2006 from the law firm Webber Wentzel Bowens, where he served as a partner in the corporate services department.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having had significant experience in the fields of mergers and acquisitions, regulation and compliance and commercial transactions,” MTN Group President and CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa.<\/p>\n
“In his new role, Fleischer will be responsible for leading the Group Legal and Regulatory team, and providing strategic legal counsel to the company.”<\/p>\n
In November 2013, Turkcell filed papers with the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, seeking\u00a0$4.2 billion in damages, alleging it was the victim of corruption and bribery that caused it to lose a contract in Iran.<\/p>\n
MTN Group said it would vigorously defend against the Turkcell lawsuit \u2013 the\u00a0Turkish operator\u2018s\u00a0fifth claim\u00a0arising from the unsuccessful bid to obtain a mobile licence in Iran.<\/p>\n
In its most recent case,\u00a0Turkcell filed a suit against MTN in the USA in March 2012, accusing the company of bribery and other acts of corruption that it said caused it to lose out on the license to operate a mobile network in Iran.<\/p>\n
The MTN Group Board commissioned Lord Hoffmann to head an independent Committee to investigate the allegations made by Turkcell in the legal case brought against it in the United States.<\/p>\n
The Hoffmann Committee cleared MTN of the bribery allegations.<\/p>\n
The US suit was dismissed in May 2013 after a US Supreme Court ruling on another case significantly curtailed the reach and ambit of the Alien Tort Statute.<\/p>\n
MTN to \u201cvigorously\u201d oppose Turkcell lawsuit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Turkcell sues MTN for R43-billion over Iran damages<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Turkcell withdraws MTN lawsuit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n US senator alerts MTN case to treasury<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Turkcell\u2019s MTN lawsuit put on hold<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n