YLE Faces Lawsuit of Slovenian ex-PM - Denies Libel Accusations
Slovenia's former Prime Minister Janez Jansa
Image: EPA
The Finnish Broadcasting Company rejects out of hand accusations of libel levelled against it by Slovenia’s former Prime Minister Janez Jansa over a current affairs television programme in 2008.
Investigative programme MOT, aired in September 2008, reported on suspicions of bribery involving the purchase of armoured vehicles manufactured by the Finnish company Patria for the Slovenian army. Former Prime Minister Jansa is demanding damages of 1.5 million euros.
The YLE Legal Department is investigating the matter.
“We reject both the basis and the amount of the lawsuit,” says YLE lawyer Kirsi-Marja Okkonen.
The lawsuit was filed in the local court of the Slovenian city of Novo Mesto. The papers were delivered to YLE on January 22.
Jansa is demanding 1.5 million euros in damages from YLE, the programme’s journalist Magnus Berglund, and two Slovenians interviewed for the programme. He is also calling for a retraction of the claims made in the programme.
YLE