CAPE TOWN, July 10 (Reuters) – South Africa’s foreign
ministry is investigating allegations a former ambassador to
Tehran took a $200,000 bribe to help MTN Group win a
mobile licence in Iran, according to government documents
released on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said in a response
to written parliamentary questions that her department had
started an investigation into the allegations against Yusuf
Saloojee, currently ambassador to Oman.
Johannesburg-based MTN is being sued by Turkish rival
Turkcell for $4.2 billion. The Turkish company
alleges MTN bribed Saloojee and used other underhanded methods
to win a licence over Turkcell in 2005.
MTN has denied the charges and called Turkcell’s demands
“extortionate”.
Saloojee has previously not responded to Reuters requests
for comment on the case, but has denied the allegations in
statements published by South African media.
No one was immediately available for comment at the South
African embassy in Oman.
Shadow minister of defence David Maynier from the opposition
Democratic Alliance (DA) party, who submitted the questions to
the foreign minister, said the government had previously argued
that an investigation was unnecessary.
“It is not clear why the department has done an about turn,
but the institution of this investigation is nevertheless a
welcome development,” he said in a statement.
“It is imperative that the results of the investigation be
made public as soon as possible.”
Continued…
