By Sohaib Shams
Conservative and Reform UK donor Mohamed Amersi has told the High Court that a BBC Panorama episode and article alleging his involvement in corruption caused him to lose a knighthood and a peerage, as his defamation case against the broadcaster opened on Wednesday.
Allegations and background
The 2021 Panorama programme, titled “Pandora Papers: Political Donors Exposed,” and an accompanying BBC article alleged strong grounds for suspecting that Amersi, while working as an adviser for Swedish telecoms company Telia, was involved in deals he knew or should have known were corrupt. The reporting focused on a $220m payment made in January 2010 to a Gibraltar company, Takilant, which the BBC says was ultimately owned by Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbekistan’s then-president.
Amersi’s claims
In an opening statement, Amersi’s barrister Oliver Powell read a witness statement in which the businessman said the publicity forced him to step aside from his educational philanthropy. Amersi, who donated £25,000 to Reform UK last year and previously gave hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Conservatives, claimed the “scandal cost me a knighthood and a peerage” and that he was debanked by Union Bancaire Privée of Switzerland. He denies any knowledge of corruption and says his work for Telia in Uzbekistan lasted fewer than six weeks.
BBC defence
The BBC is defending its content on grounds of truth and public interest. In its skeleton defence, the corporation said there was no evidence Amersi suffered serious reputational harm and pointed to factual inaccuracies in his statement. The BBC relies on admissions Telia made to the US Department of Justice in a 2017 deferred prosecution agreement, which the broadcaster argues indicate the $220m payment was a bribe.
Disputed evidence
Powell argued that Telia’s admissions are untested hearsay and should be given little weight. He cited a legal review commissioned by Telia that interviewed Amersi and was unable to determine any legal or financial connection between Takilant and Karimova. Amersi further claims the BBC has provided no evidence of his knowledge or involvement in corruption in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, or Nepal.
Trial continues
Amersi is seeking damages, including aggravated damages, and an injunction to prevent further publication of the statements he argues are defamatory. He is expected to give evidence for six days starting 11 November. The case continues.
