MTN may have illegally moved more than the previously claimed $14bn out of Nigeria, a legislator has said, citing early findings from an investigation into the allegation by international forensic experts. "We have realised from preliminary investigations that it is actually outrageously higher than" the original figure, Dino Melaye, the senator who raised the allegation in September, told reporters in the capital, Abuja, on Wednesday. Accountants and lawyers were also involved in the probe and were examining documents dating back 16 years, said senator Rafiu Ibrahim, chairperson of the committee on banking, insurance and other financial institutions, which is leading the inquiry. MTN, Africa’s biggest wireless carrier by sales, has denied the claims. An investigative hearing in the presence of the company, the central bank and four lenders was expected to be held on Thursday.

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