Cameroon's presidency orders official checks into billionaire Baba Danpullo's three-year legal war against MTN as dispute enters new phase

The Cameroon presidency has ordered official checks into the long-running dispute between Cameroonian billionaire Ahmadou Baba Danpullo and MTN Cameroon, according to Africa Intelligence, in a development that signals the feud between one of the country's wealthiest men and one of its largest telecom operators has attracted attention at the highest level of government.

The intervention comes roughly a year after what appeared to be a legal resolution of the matter. On February 24, 2025, a Cameroonian appeals court ruled unanimously that Danpullo's company Bestinver Group had no right to impose asset seizures on MTN Cameroon. MTN received the enforcement order in March 2025, restoring access to more than $23 million in funds that had been frozen since September 2022. The telecom company declared victory and reiterated its commitment to the Cameroonian market.

But Danpullo's lawyers signaled at the time that they would make new attempts to seize the assets through other legal channels. The presidential intervention suggests the dispute has not been fully resolved and that its political dimensions remain active.

The origins of the case lie in South Africa. Danpullo secured a R520 million loan from First National Bank in 2017 to acquire a commercial building in Cape Town. When the loan went into default, FNB liquidated his South African property portfolio, including buildings in Johannesburg and Cape Town that had been valued at more than $277 million. Danpullo, who is also the majority shareholder of Bestinver Group, responded by targeting South African companies operating in Cameroon, arguing that the Public Investment Corporation, which holds stakes in both FNB and, he claimed, in MTN and Chococam, made those companies liable for his losses.

MTN Cameroon rejected this reasoning from the outset, calling the garnishment abusive, fraudulent and unacceptable, and denying any connection to Bestinver, FNB or the South African dispute. Chococam, the Tiger Brands subsidiary, also contested the seizure. Nevertheless, a Douala court in 2022 ordered MTN Cameroon's accounts frozen, trapping approximately 14 billion CFA francs. In 2023, the funds were transferred to an escrow account managed by a court registrar, forcing MTN Cameroon to secure 91.5 billion CFA francs in emergency syndicated loans to maintain operations.

Danpullo is Cameroon's richest man, with an estimated net worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars built through the Bestinver group, which spans real estate, cattle ranching, agribusiness and other investments. He is a longtime close associate of President Paul Biya and has wielded considerable political influence inside Cameroon for decades. His ability to secure domestic court orders against major multinational companies and sustain them for years reflects both his legal resources and his political access.

The presidential check order appears designed to assess the current state of the dispute, the legal basis for any ongoing claims and whether a further escalation is imminent. Africa Intelligence did not publish the specific content of the order. No statement has been issued by Danpullo, Bestinver or MTN Cameroon in response to the development.