Assassination attempt on politician 'after firm provided his mobile data'

Gunmen tried to assassinate a Tanzanian opposition politician after a telecoms company secretly passed his mobile phone data to the government, according to evidence heard in a London tribunal.

- David Pegg

The mobile company Tigo had provided Tundu Lissu's call and location data to Tanzanian authorities in the weeks prior to the attempt on his life in September 2017.

The arrangement, which has not been denied by Tigo, was revealed in a claim by an internal investigator for the company that was heard at the London central employment tribunal this month.

Michael Clifford, a former Metropolitan police officer, claims that Millicom, the owner of the Tigo brand, sacked him for raising concerns about the affair.

"Mr Clifford's case is that he was treated to his detriment, frozen out by [Millicom] and automatically unfairly dismissed because he made protected disclosures, or 'blew the whistle', in respect of matters of the utmost seriousness and public interest importance," Clifford's lawyers said in written submissions.