Spoetnik
02-12-04, 14:20
Galloway wins Saddam libel battle
By Jan Colley and Cathy Gordon, PA
02 December 2004
George Galloway won £150,000 libel damages from The Daily Telegraph today over allegations that he was in the secret pay of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The 50-year-old MP for Glasgow Kelvin described the High Court ruling by Mr Justice Eady as a "judicial caning" for the newspaper, which has been left facing a costs bill of around £1.2 million.
Mr Galloway, who sued over "outrageous and incredibly damaging" allegations, was present at London's Law Courts for a ruling which he said brought him the "vindication" he sought.
Announcing his decision, the judge said he was "obliged to compensate Mr Galloway in respect of the publications and the aggravated features of the defendants' subsequent conduct, and to make an award for the purposes of restoring his reputation".
He added: "I do not think those purposes would be achieved by any award less than £150,000."
The MP's case centred on a series of articles published in April 2003 - following discovery of documents in Iraq by Telegraph reporter David Blair - which he said "claimed that I had made very substantial secret profits from Saddam Hussein and his regime".
Telegraph Group Limited denied libel, claiming that it was responsible journalism and in the public interest for it to publish the contents of documents on which the story was based.
(...)
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/story.jsp?story=588901
By Jan Colley and Cathy Gordon, PA
02 December 2004
George Galloway won £150,000 libel damages from The Daily Telegraph today over allegations that he was in the secret pay of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The 50-year-old MP for Glasgow Kelvin described the High Court ruling by Mr Justice Eady as a "judicial caning" for the newspaper, which has been left facing a costs bill of around £1.2 million.
Mr Galloway, who sued over "outrageous and incredibly damaging" allegations, was present at London's Law Courts for a ruling which he said brought him the "vindication" he sought.
Announcing his decision, the judge said he was "obliged to compensate Mr Galloway in respect of the publications and the aggravated features of the defendants' subsequent conduct, and to make an award for the purposes of restoring his reputation".
He added: "I do not think those purposes would be achieved by any award less than £150,000."
The MP's case centred on a series of articles published in April 2003 - following discovery of documents in Iraq by Telegraph reporter David Blair - which he said "claimed that I had made very substantial secret profits from Saddam Hussein and his regime".
Telegraph Group Limited denied libel, claiming that it was responsible journalism and in the public interest for it to publish the contents of documents on which the story was based.
(...)
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/story.jsp?story=588901