By: Keith Morrison| Staff Writer
April 4,2025
A Cameroonian court has lifted garnishee orders that were placed on MTN Cameroon’s bank account, giving MTN a victory in a strange two-and-a-half-year legal battle with Bestinver Group.
MTN has seized a victory in Cameroon to do with a bizarre legal battle with Bestinver Group that has been causing the telco headaches for two-and-a-half years.
The Littoral Court of Appeal in Douala has lifted garnishee orders that were placed on MTN Cameroon’s bank account by Bestinver Group, ruling that Bestinver did not hold a valid claim against MTN Cameroon.
“The Court concluded unanimously on 24 February 2025 that Bestinver Group companies were not entitled to impose these garnishees, which it had done since September 2022. The final order was received by MTN Cameroon in March 2025,” MTN Cameroon said in a statement this week.
“MTN Cameroon welcomes this decision affirming the legitimacy of its defence and restoring its rights. We are grateful to our customers and partners for their trust during this process, assuring them of our commitment to creating shared value,” the statement signed by MTN Cameroon management stated.
The case so far
In June 2023, MTN confirmed that its bank accounts were frozen by a court order in September 2022 due to a dispute it claimed it had nothing to do with.
The strange case stemmed from a dispute between Cameroonian business mogul Ahmadou Baba Danpullo, who owns Bestinver Group, and South Africa’s First National Bank (FNB) over a real estate loan.
After FNB liquidated several properties belonging to Danpullo in South Africa, the businessman tried to recover his lost money via other South African companies based in Cameroon.
He succeeded in having the courts garnish the accounts of MTN (holding around $22 million at the time) and Chococam – which is a subsidiary of SA’s Tiger Brands.
On June 9, 2023, a court ruled that the funds were to be transferred into an escrow account managed by the court registrar until the determination of the garnishee dispute by the Court.
“MTN Cameroon firmly contests the garnishment of its bank accounts, that it considers as abusive, fraudulent and unacceptable given that MTN Cameroon has no relation whatsoever with neither Bestinver Group of companies, Mr. Danpullo, nor the said South African Bank,” former MTN Cameroon CEO Mitwa Ng’ambi told Connecting Africa back in 2023.
MTN has been fighting the garnishee dispute and assets seizure ever since.
In its latest statement, MTN Cameroon reiterated its commitment to the Central African country.
“As a responsible corporate citizen over the past 25 years MTN Cameroon has contributed significantly to Cameroon’s socio-economic development by creating jobs, fostering economic growth, investing in essential infrastructure, and supporting community initiatives,” the telco said.
Author: Paula Gilbert, Editor| April 2, 2025
Source: https://www.connectingafrica.com/investment/mtn-cameroon-wins-court-battle-over-seized-assets
