The Uganda Police Force has arrested and subsequently deported two top employees of MTN Uganda for allegedly engaging in activities that threaten the country’s national security.
According to a statement by the giant telecom whose licence renewal last year has raised a few eyebrows even from the President himself, MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer, Olivier Prentout the Head of Sales and Distribution, Annie Bilenge Tabura were arrested separately and deported by the government without much explanation.
“Prentout, was arrested by police at Entebbe airport upon arrival from a business trip abroad on Saturday, 19 January 2019 while Tabura, was arrested by unidentified security personnel upon arrival at the MTN headquarters in Kololo, Kampala yesterday morning,” part of the statement read.
According to MTN Uganda, both Prentout and Tabura have been deported to their home countries, France and Rwanda respectively.
The Uganda Police Force’s deputy spokesperson, Polly Namaye confirmed the arrest and deportation of the two MTN officials saying that security agencies have been trailing them for a while and “feel very strongly” that the duo were involved in acts that compromised Uganda’s security.
“We strongly believe that the two deported foreigners were using their employment as tools to achieve their ill motives of compromising our national security,” Namaye said.
Although the telecom has not yet issued a formal statement, a tweet from their official handle, @MTNUG has been sent saying that, “MTN Uganda, together with all its employees, remains fully committed to operating within and respecting the laws of the country.”
When asked whether the deportation of the two senior officials was connected to the raid of an MTN Data Centre by security officials last year, Namaye declined comment only saying that the agencies had sufficient information for their actions – both then and now.