Friday, July 17, 2020 / 07:27 AM / By Thisday/NAN    /Header Image Credit: Ecographics

An FCT High Court, in Kubwa on Monday, dismissed a N5 billion libel suitfiled by a Chartered Accountant, Nixon Alanza, against THISDAY NewspaperLimited and Diamond Bank Plc.

Delivering judgment, Justice Bello Kawu, held that the plaintiff did notprovide enough evidence for libel and dismissed the suit.

The plaintiff, through his lawyer, Blessing Timothy alleged that THISDAYmade a publication titled "Diamond bank-list of major delinquent debtors" in2015 without justification or verification.

Timothy said the plaintiff's name was stated with other persons as owinga term loan and lease finance facility of N181, 728, 381.55.

She held that the publication was totally false and defamatory sayingthat the plaintiff is neither a Director of Global Scansystems Limited aslisted by the defendant nor has he ever guaranteed any loan owed to DiamondBank.

The plaintiff however sought N5 billion for aggravated and generaldamages for libel and statutory interest of 10 percent per annum from the dateof judgement until judgement debt is fully liquidated.

In its defence, THISDAY through its counsel, Frank Chude, said theCentral Bank of Nigeria gave a directive for the bank to publish a list ofdelinquent debtors.

"THISDAY is bound to publish because it was a directive from a crediblesource, CBN and the newspaper is covered by qualified privilege which statesthat it owes a duty to publish so long as there is no malice.

The public are interested in knowing what is going on, a qualifiedprivilege avails publication without malice," Chude said. (NAN)

Credits

The post CourtDismisses N5bn Libel Suit against THISDAY, Diamond Bank first appeared in Thisday on Monday, July 13, 2020.

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