5/22/22, 10:09 AM Myanmar rights groups complain to OECD over Telenor sale | Financial Times M1, a sprawling conglomerate founded by billionaire Najib Mikati and his brother Taha, has “a record of conducting business in countries operating under authoritarian regimes”, according to the rights groups that submitted the complaint to the OECD. M1 has operated mobile networks in Yemen, Syria, Liberia, and Sudan. Mikati was Lebanon’s prime minister in 2005 and again from 2011-14. He is set to hold Lebanon’s top office once more after members of parliament voted on Monday to appoint him prime minister-designate. Joe Issa-el-Khoury, an adviser to M1, said the concerns about the Lebanese company were “racist and discriminatory”, and that it had never “jeopardise[d] its ethics when it comes to human rights issues”. Asked how M1 would deal with any demands from Myanmar’s junta, Issa-el-Khoury said: “Let’s not get anguished by anticipation and let’s wait to see what the authorities might require.” “The people of Myanmar would be left with two options” following Telenor’s withdrawal, he added. “Either there’s a group coming from the Middle East that’s prepared to take risks . . . or it’s the government who’s going to take over.” Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022. All rights reserved. https://www.ft.com/content/f7631bfb-25b5-48d8-9c15-39650c6b7f85 3/3