Revealed: How MTN worker helped Gupta lieutenants spy on journalists and politicians

MTN has disciplined an employee who sold the cellphone records of journalists and politicians to an ex-Gupta employee.

The cellphone giant has also opened a criminal case against the employee, who was paid R3,750 to hand over cellphone records of former finance minister Trevor Manuel, Tiso Blackstar Group editor-at-large Peter Bruce and Financial Mail editor Rob Rose — all critics of the Guptas.

Parts of the records were published on fake news site wmcleaks.com on August 13, and included the records of Bank of Baroda CEO Manoj Kumar Jha in an article that sought to link Manuel, Bruce and Rose in influencing Kumar into closing the Guptas’ accounts with Baroda.

MTN senior fraud analyst Primrose Nhlapho was suspended and was due to face a disciplinary hearing. She never turned up for the hearing and instead resigned.

A case of contravention of the Rica Act and corruption in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Practices Act has been registered at Fairlands police station.

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