Gbagbo wins defamation match
2004-05-05 11:29
Paris - Paris Match weekly has been ordered to pay €15 000 (about R123 000) to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo after a French court found an article containing theft allegations to be defamatory.
A February 2002 article contained allegations made by the wife of Alassane Ouattara, the country's main opposition leader, that Gbagbo's entourage had stolen her husband's cars, and that the president was aware of it.
In a copy of the April 28 decision obtained on Tuesday, the court found the allegations "particularly insidious" given that she was identified as the spouse of a top opposition leader only briefly at the end of the article.
Moreover, witnesses who testified before the court denied the allegations.
An aide to Gbagbo's wife was also awarded €3 000 .
Paris Match, known for its coverage of film stars, royals and society matrons, was ordered to publish a full-page retraction and pay €3 000 in legal fees.