Uganda’s security agencies and immigration department have deported the chief executive of the largest telecommunications company in the country over security reasons.
MTN Uganda on Friday confirmed the deportation of Wim Vanhelleputte.
“MTN has not been notified of the grounds for the deportation,” the company however tweeted.
Vanhelleputte, a Belgian national, was deported to Belgium late on Thursday over circumstances of threatening national security, said police spokesman, Fred Enanga.
Vanhelleputte is the fourth employee of the South African multinational company to be deported in the past several weeks, following the deportations of a French, Rwandan and Italian employee.
MTN has appointed Gordian Kyomukama, currently chief technology officer, as acting chief executive to ensure business continuity.
When he recently met Rob Shuter, chief executive officer of the MTN Group, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said he had warned the company against “under-declaring calls’’ and “cheating government of revenue,” noting that the government had bought machines to track calls.
Museveni insisted that the company must list its shares on the local stock exchange to enable Ugandans to own part of it.
