MTN Group hires a former US attorney-general Eric Holder in connection to NCC and the $3.9bn fine”

According to Financial Times, MTN Group has hired a former US attorney-general Eric Holder to take part in talks with NCC about settling a $3.9bn fine”

With one month and two weeks left to settle with the Nigerian authorities over the $3.9 billion fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), for failing to disconnect unregistered users, MTN Group has hired a former U.S. attorney general to help challenge the propriety of the fine.

The former U.S. law enforcement officer, Eric Holder is said to have pleaded with Nigerian officials last month on behalf of the telecoms company without any fruitful outcome.

It will be recalled that MTN Nigeria was originally given a fine of $5.2 billion in October, 2015, and after weeks of lobbying by the telecom company, the fine was reduced by 25 percent ($3.9 billion).

Still not satisfied, the telecom giant approached a Lagos High court in December to quash the fine, arguing that the regulator had no legal grounds to impose such penalty.

After hearing the case, the presiding judge in January gave the two parties a two month period to settle out of court .

However, effort to confirm the development from MTN spokesperson did not yield result.

Vanguard checks revealed that Holder was the U.S. Justice Department from 2009 to 2015 and was one of President Barack Obama’s longest-serving cabinet members, returned to law firm Covington & Burling, where he was previously a partner from 2001 to 2009.