Britain’s leading newspaper, The Telegraph, has issued an unprecedented series of apologies and paid damages to Pakistani-American technology entrepreneur Zia Chishti.
Zia Chishti had sued the Telegraph Media Group (publisher of the Daily Telegraph and the Telegraph online) in the UK High Court over 13 articles published by The Telegraph between November 2021 to February 2023 that republished allegations made by a former employee of Mr Chishti.
Zia Chishti fought a tough legal battle with the paper in London for over two years, which involved disclosure and review of thousands of documents.
Between November 2021 and February 2023, The Telegraph published a series of articles that reported on allegations made by Tatiana Spottiswoode. Mr. Chishti initiated libel proceedings against The Telegraph in response.
The subsequent high court proceedings drew on extensive personal communications between Mr. Chishti and Ms. Spottiswoode, as well as hundreds of documents The Telegraph obtained through a subpoena of Ms. Spottiswoode’s attorneys in the United States.
The UK’s oldest newspaper has now conceded the allegations it published were false, misleading and defamatory. The apology states that the Telegraph withdraws its position that its allegations against Mr. Chishti were true and will run the apology on top of a record 13 separate articles that The Telegraph published about him. It will also be published separately both in The Telegraph’s print and online editions.
The Telegraph also agreed to pay Mr. Chishti substantial damages and legal costs. It acknowledged that Mr. Chishti has consistently disputed the allegations The Telegraph also acknowledged that, although he sought to provide evidence to disprove the allegations made against him, he was not given the opportunity to do so.
The Telegraph today read out in open court in the Royal Courts of Justice in London that: “A series of articles published by the Telegraph from November 2021 to February 2023 reported on allegations made by a former employee of Afiniti, Tatiana Spottiswoode…, about the company’s founder and CEO, Zia Chishti. Although Mr. Chishti sought to do so, [he was not given] the opportunity to refute the allegations, which he strongly disputes.”
The apology continued: “The Telegraph made a statement in open court that it withdraws its earlier position that the above allegations were true and that they were made in the public interest. The Telegraph apologises to Mr Chishti and his family for the harm they have been caused. Finally, The Telegraph has agreed to pay Mr Chishti a substantial sum by way of damages and a contribution to his legal costs.”
Speaking to media outside the court after winning the case, Zia Chishti said The Telegraph apology and settlement is a step in the right direction. The technology entrepreneur, accompanied by his family members and lawyers, said: “I did not commit the horrific acts Ms. Spottiswoode and The Telegraph alleged against me. These allegations have created a three-and-a-half-year ordeal that has critically hurt my family and severely damaged my reputation and business interests. The Telegraph has now withdrawn its position that the allegations it published were true and has apologised for the harm it has caused in publishing these allegations. This apology helps repair the extensive damage to me in the United Kingdom. I am now hopeful that in the United States [I’m given] the same platform to deny the allegations against me as it gave my accuser to make the allegations.”
