MTN Group responds to US DoJ grand jury investigation
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MTN Group said regarding US Anti-Terrorism Act claims against it, that it conducts its business in a responsible and compliant manner in all its territories, and will defend its position where necessary,
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The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has approached MTN Group through its external US counsel regarding a DoJ grand jury investigation relating to MTN and its former subsidiary in Afghanistan, as well as Irancell.
MTN CEO and President Ralph Mupita stated in an online publication on Monday that the group has collaborated with the DoJ’s requests for information, saying, “we are talking to them,” and emphasised that the DoJ had not accused the group of any wrongdoing.
In an update on significant legal matters in the group’s financial results for the six months to June 30, 2025, MTN said that it had filed for leave to appeal a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment in the Turkcell case concerning jurisdictional issues, to the South African Constitutional Court.
On April 29, 2025, the SCA upheld MTN’s argument that Iranian law was the applicable law in Turkcell’s claims against the group. However, the SCA also granted Turkcell’s appeal regarding the jurisdiction ruling made by the High Court.
In an update on the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA) litigation in the US, the group noted that jurisdictional discovery in the Chand and Davis cases, ordered in July 2023, had now closed, and the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on August 6, 2025.
The Chand and Davis cases, filed on March 22, 2022, were claimed to be on behalf of American service members and civilians who were injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2005 and 2010. The plaintiffs alleged that MTN supported anti-American militias in Iraq and Afghanistan through its participation in Irancell, where MTN holds a 49% minority stake.
The amended complaint now includes additional claims against MTN, which are similar to those asserted in the three other pending ATA cases in which MTN is involved, the group said.
MTN stated that it would file a Motion to Dismiss the amended complaint.
“MTN has deep sympathy for those who have been injured or lost loved ones as a result of the tragic conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group conducts its business in a responsible and compliant manner in all its territories and will defend its position where necessary,” it said in the results statement.
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