NSW: Man dubbed terror supporter has defamation payout doubled

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2008
NSW: Man dubbed terror supporter has defamation payout doubled

A former staffer at a Sydney mosque who was wrongfully branded a "supporter of terrorism"

in newspaper reports has had his defamation payout doubled .. to more than 250-thousand
dollars.

The NSW Court of Appeal's handed down its ruling in the case of ROMZI ALI .. a leader
in the Sydney Muslim community .. who a jury found was defamed by reports in a News Limited
newspaper in 2003.

Two articles and an editorial published in The Australian claimed Mr ALI .. then the
secretary of the Dee Why mosque .. was involved with the terrorism-linked group Laskar
Jihad.

Mr ALI was initially awarded 125-thousand dollars in damages .. but following an appeal
.. a court's ruled the 2005 defamation payout wasn't enough to match the "catastrophic
or close to catastrophic" effect of the reports.

News Limited can appeal the case to the High Court.

AAP RTV dr/tm/fdf

KEYWORD: ALI (SYDNEY)

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