Ukrainian president sues BBC for libel: report
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
11.02.2019 12:23
A libel case by Petro Poroshenko against broadcaster BBC over claims that USD 400,000 was paid to secure a meeting between the Ukrainian and US presidents has reached the High Court in London, according to British media.
Photo: Activedia/pixabay.com/CC0 Creative Commons
Poroshenko alleges BBC reports that the US president’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen received a six-figure sum to arrange talks with Donald Trump suggested the Ukrainian leader was “guilty of serious corruption”, Britain’s Press Gazette reported.
A High Court judge decided BBC reports had implied that Poroshenko “procured or authorised a corrupt payment of $400,000 to be made,” according to the Press Gazette.
At a preliminary hearing in London last week, the BBC argued that its reports did not imply Poroshenko had advance knowledge of a payment and so were not defamatory, the Press Gazette reported.
Poroshenko met Trump at the White House in June 2017.
(pk)
Source: pressgazette.co.uk