Monitoring Desk: Former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has won the first round of defamation case against UK newspaper Daily Mail as Justice Matthew Nicklin has considered the story of David Rose as slanderous.
Justice Nicklin declared that the article against Shahbaz Sharif and his son-in-law Yousaf was “Chase Level 1 defamation” which means the highest form of defamation, and were declared guilty of corruption on the basis of presumptions.
The publication’s lawyer extensively quoted PM Imran Khan’s advisor Shahzad Akbar’s statement that the money-laundering investigation had started in Pakistan, leading to the discovery of a huge amount, while it was also revealed that Department for International Development (DFID) funds were “embezzled”. The lawyer also read excerpts of the article related to “cash boys” and “poppadom men”.
Adrienne Page QC, appearing for Shahbaz Sharif, told the judge that the Daily Mail article illustrated connections between Shahbaz and the UK government and then alleged that he was involved in corruption.
The lawyer took the court through the whole article and said the article was defamatory from the start till the end — lacking evidence but making baseless allegations of fraud and money-laundering.
While David Rose through his Twitter messages says:
It seems some in Pakistan are claiming that the London judge in today’s hearing in the Shahbaz Sharif case has said our evidence is not “up to the mark”. This is untrue. He has made no such comment. Today’s hearing is not a victory for anyone. It was strictly preliminary. OK?
Contrary to some Pakistani reports, today’s hearing in the Shahbaz Sharif defamation case is strictly preliminary. The judgment sets the parameters for the eventual trial, which lies in the future: it determines what the court says the article means. It is NOT a final outcome.
It seems some in Pakistan are claiming that the London judge in today’s hearing in the Shahbaz Sharif case has said our evidence is not “up to the mark”. This is untrue. He has made no such comment. Today’s hearing is not a victory for anyone. It was strictly preliminary. OK?
— David Rose (@DavidRoseUK) February 5, 2021
