Former MP Ras Mubarak is suing MTN Ghana for $5 million, alleging breach of contract after failed roaming services caused financial losses and reputational damage.
Abdulai Mohammed Mubarak, popularly known as Ras Mubarak, a former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu and former Chief Executive of the National Youth Authority, has filed a lawsuit against MTN Ghana (Scancom PLC) at the Accra High Court.
Mubarak is seeking $5 million in damages, alleging that the telecom giant’s failure to provide roaming services during an international business trip caused him significant financial losses, reputational damage, and emotional hardship.
Allegations and Key Details
In the lawsuit, filed on November 27, 2024, Mubarak accused MTN Ghana of breaching its contractual obligations after he was unable to access roaming services despite activating the feature before his trip. He claimed the disruption caused severe difficulties in managing his business, personal affairs, and family responsibilities while traveling to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in September 2024.
“I attempted to access my mobile phone service many times without success, making it impossible to receive calls, send or receive SMS, and access internet data service,” Mubarak stated in his court filing.
He further alleged that MTN Ghana’s failure to resolve the issue despite repeated complaints caused extensive harm.
“The disruption occasioned by the Defendant’s failure… caused immeasurable damage to my business, including loss of business opportunities and severe reputational injury,” Mubarak said.
The former MP also detailed how the inability to receive one-time passwords (OTPs) left his family stranded financially.
“I was forced to practically go begging for funds from employees and associates to honour my responsibilities towards my family and businesses,” he added.
Reliefs Sought
Mubarak is demanding:
$1 million for breach of contract.
$4 million for hardship, inconvenience, and reputational injury.
Interest on awarded amounts at commercial bank lending rates.
Full indemnity for legal costs, including attorney’s fees.
He also seeks a declaration that MTN Ghana’s failure to provide roaming services constitutes a breach of contract.
MTN Ghana’s Response
Court documents revealed that MTN Ghana responded to Mubarak’s complaints with an apology on October 17, 2024, after receiving a demand notice from his lawyers. However, Mubarak criticised the response as insufficient.
“The Defendant offered a mere waiver of my post-paid bill for September as compensation, trivialising the extent and duration of my ordeal,” Mubarak stated.
After further correspondence failed to yield a resolution, Mubarak opted for legal action.
“Having exhausted all options to amicably resolve my grievances… I am fortified in my opinion that the Defendant will continue to ignore or trivialise my ordeal unless compelled by the orders of this Honourable Court to compensate me,” he said.
Mubarak’s Public Statement
Following the filing, Mubarak explained his decision in a facebook post saying, “I sued MTN Ghana (Scancom PLC LTD) yesterday at the High Court of Justice, praying the Honourable Court awards compensation in the sum of $5 million USD for damages caused by MTN’s inability to offer services. Before initiating the suit, my lawyers had given MTN Ghana reasonable time to offer an apology and reasonable compensation, but alas, they dithered. Never must we allow big corporations to take customers for granted.”
