商人穆罕默德·阿梅西（Mohamed Amersi）在英国高等法院对BBC提起的诽谤诉讼近日开审 1。阿梅西指控BBC在2021年的《全景》节目及文章中，错误地暗示其在瑞典电信公司Telia任职期间涉及腐败交易 1。该报道导致阿梅西失去了被封为爵士和上议院议员的资格，并遭受了严重的声誉损害 1。
作为政治捐款人，阿梅西曾向前保守党捐赠数十万英镑，并向改革党捐款25,000英镑 1。他声称，受相关丑闻影响，瑞士私人银行Union Bancaire Privée取消了其银行账户 1。此次争议的焦点在于BBC 2021年报道中提到的、于2010年1月向直布罗陀公司Takilant支付的2.2亿美元（约1.65亿英镑）款项 1。BBC认为，该公司实际受益人为乌兹别克斯坦前总统的大女儿古尔纳拉·卡里莫娃（Gulnara Karimova） 1。
针对上述指控，BBC以“事实真相”和“公共利益”为由进行抗辩，称有合理依据怀疑阿梅西与向卡里莫娃支付巨额贿赂有关 1。阿梅西辩护律师奥利弗·鲍威尔（Oliver Powell）指出，BBC所依赖的证据源自Telia在2017年与美国司法部达成的延期起诉协议中的供认，这属于未经证实的“传闻证据” 1。该案预计持续七周，阿梅西将从11月11日起出庭作证六天 1。目前，阿梅西要求赔偿损失（包括加重损害赔偿），并申请禁令阻止进一步发表相关言论 1。
London's High Court has commenced proceedings in a defamation lawsuit brought by businessman Mohamed Amersi against the BBC. The plaintiff alleges that erroneous reporting by the broadcaster implied he was involved in corrupt dealings while working for Swedish telecommunications firm Telia, which ultimately caused him to lose eligibility for both a knighthood and a peerage 1. Additionally, Amersi claims the scandal led to severe reputational damage, including the closure of his account with Swiss private bank Union Bancaire Privée 1.
The dispute centers on the BBC’s 2021 Panorama program and articles, which focused on a $220 million payment (approximately £165 million) made in January 2010 to Gibraltar-based company Takilant 1. According to the report, the actual beneficiary of these funds was Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of Uzbekistan’s former president 1. In its defense, the BBC argues it had reasonable grounds to suspect Amersi’s involvement in bribing Karimova, citing the public interest justification and truth as key elements of their case 1.
Oliver Powell, representing Amersi, challenged the basis of the allegations, stating that the BBC relied on confessions from Telia’s 2017 deferred prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice. Powell characterized this material as unverified "hearsay evidence" rather than direct proof against his client 1. Beyond financial compensation and aggravated damages, Amersi is seeking an injunction to prevent further publication of similar statements 1. The trial is scheduled to last seven weeks, with Amersi set to take the stand for six days starting November 11 1.
Amersi’s political contributions have also been highlighted during the proceedings; he donated £25,000 to the Reform Party and previously contributed hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Conservative Party 1.
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