PRESURE MOUNT Italy, South Africa, Rwanda, France Query Demand details Of Why MTN CEO Was Deported Emerge

KAMPALA, Uganda: Belgian national and MTN Chief Executive, Wim Vanhelleputte was deported for communicating and keeping in touch with the earlier deported MTN top officials, SpyUganda has established. Meanwhile, we can reveal that it is not business as usual, as pressure continues to mount from South Africa, Rwanda, Italy and France regarding the recent deportation of their citizens.

Vanhellputte’s deportation order was personally signed by the Internal Affairs Minister, Gen. Jeje Odong on Thursday evening. The MTN chief was later bungled into an SN Brussels Airline late night flight and flown back to Belgium.

Though as she addressed the media Deputy Police Spokesman, Polly Namaye said Vanhelleputte was deported for undermining the security of ‘our country’, and for being involved in activities that undermined security of the country, we have established from a top security chief that after the deportation of the three other top MTN bosses, intelligence kept monitoring those who were still communicating with them. The victim that fell in this trap was Vanhelleputte.

He joins the French national and MTN Uganda’s chief marketing officer Olivier Prentout, Rwandan Annie Bilenge Tabura, who was head of sales and distribution, and Franco-Italian citizen and general manager for mobile financial services Elsa Muzzolini who were earlier deported.

We have established that these trio were accused by intelligence authorities of funding a campaign to sabotage the collection of new taxes introduced last June on mobile money transactions and social media sites, known as the Over The Top (OTT) tax. They were also accused of spying on Ugandan government authorities for Rwandan government.

SpyUganda has learnt that before and after President Museveni returned from the 32 session of the African Union Summit in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, pressure was already beginning to mount from Rwanda, South Africa, Italy and France.

Prior to the deportation of Belgian national Vanhellputte, President Museveni had secret meetings with the French ambassador to Uganda, H.E Rivoal Ste’phanie. State House has been so cagey regarding the discussions that President Museveni and French ambassador had, though sources say it focused mainly on the deportations of foreign MTN staff and the intelligence report that they were engaged in espionage. State House sources revealed to us that President Museveni is expected to address these ‘pressures’ after he is done with the on-going Central Executive Committee Retreat that ends on Wednesday at Chobe Safari Lodge.

Mr. Vanhellputte’s deportation followed the sacking of the MTNs Legal and Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr. Anthony Katamba.

Katamba had served as legal advisor for MTN for the last 18 years. His name has however been linked to various linkages with security operatives regarding torture and illegal arrests of some MTN staff.

According to a statement from MTN management, Katamba was  sacked for failing in his role as the company’s internal legal advisor.