Another telco linked to allegations of tracking prominent Tanzanians
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu poses during an interview with AFP at his home in Tienen, Belgium. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The tribunal heard that Clifford’s findings, submitted to his superiors five days after the assassination attempt, revealed that Tigo had been providing data to the government for weeks. Clifford claims that after raising concerns, he was marginalized and eventually dismissed.
Dar es Salaam. Evidence presented at a London tribunal has placed Millicom, the former parent company of telecom firm Tigo, at the center of serious allegations regarding an attack on Tanzanian opposition leader, Tundu Lissu.
According to The Guardian, the tribunal has heard claims that the 2017 attempted assassination of Chadema leader Lissu is connected to Millicom, which allegedly shared his mobile phone data with the Tanzanian government.
These claims come shortly after a multimillion-dollar lawsuit by Tanzanian journalist Erick Kabendera against Vodacom was dismissed. Kabendera had sought $10 million (Sh27 billion) in compensation, accusing Vodacom of facilitating his 2019 arrest by providing data to authorities. The case was thrown out as it was filed outside the legal timeframe.
In the current case against Millicom, it is alleged that Tigo provided Tanzanian authorities with round-the-clock access to Lissu's phone call and location data in the weeks leading up to the September 2017 attack.
The accusation surfaced as part of a claim by Michael Clifford, a former internal investigator at Millicom and ex-Metropolitan Police officer, who raised concerns about the company's actions. Clifford alleges he was wrongfully dismissed by Millicom for "whistleblowing" about the affair.
His case, which was heard by a Central London employment tribunal, claims he faced marginalization within the company before being made redundant in 2019.
Clifford's lawyers stated that Millicom had been tracking Lissu’s two mobile phones since August 22, 2017, and intensified the tracking on August 29. The data, they allege, was shared with the government through WhatsApp.
Lissu narrowly survived the attack in Dodoma when gunmen fired multiple shots into his vehicle, leaving him severely injured.
He sought medical treatment in Kenya and Europe before returning to Tanzania years later. No one has been prosecuted for the attack.
The tribunal heard that Clifford’s findings, submitted to his superiors five days after the assassination attempt, revealed that Tigo had been providing data to the government for weeks. Clifford claims that after raising concerns, he was marginalized and eventually dismissed.
Millicom, however, disputes these allegations, citing company-wide restructuring in Africa at the time as the reason for Clifford's redundancy. The company added that they had taken local legal action following Clifford's report, leading to disciplinary measures against some employees.
Millicom is now entirely a Latin American operator following the sale of its last African interest, Tigo Tanzania, completed in 2022.
