MTN said to be close to deal with Nigeria over order to repay $8bn
MTN has lost almost 20% of its market value since Nigerian authorities said in August that it needed to repay the $8.1bn alleged to have been taken out of Nigeria illegally
MTN is close to securing a deal with Nigeria’s central bank over an order to repay $8.1bn it is alleged to have illegally taken out of the country, according to a person familiar with the matter. A settlement is expected by Monday and could come as early as Friday, said the person, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to comment publicly. The Central Bank of Nigeria will meet the four banks accused of facilitating the transfers on Friday — Standard Chartered, Citigroup, Stanbic IBTC and Diamond Bank — and that meeting could end the saga, the person said. MTN, Citibank, Standard Chartered and Stanbic IBTC declined to comment. A spokesperson for Nigeria’s central bank and representatives from Diamond Bank did not answer calls seeking confirmation after regular business hours. An end to the dispute would come as a relief for MTN, Africa’s largest wireless carrier by subscribers. The company has lost almost a fifth of its market value since Nigerian authoritie...
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