Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao Daily was on Friday ordered to pay HK$500,000 in compensation for defaming a Hong Kong Football Association boss.
Mr Justice Thomas Au Hing-cheung, in the Court of First Instance, found that association vice-chairman Pui Kwan-kay had been defamed in an editorial. The newspaper suggested that Pui, a Bronze Bauhinia Star recipient, hid his knowledge about a suspected match-fixing incident in 2009 and gave contradictory information to the press.
Au said the newspaper could not avoid liability using the legal defence of responsible journalism. The defendants include the newspaper, its publisher, and chief editor Cheung Kin-bor.
I am very happy with the result. It is a fair and just decision. The judge and the jury found that I was wrongly disparaged by the article
In a statement, Ming Pao said it did not agree with the reasoning behind the judgment and was considering filing an appeal.
Pui said: “I am very happy with the result. It is a fair and just decision. The judge and the jury found that I was wrongly disparaged by the article.”
He added that he had lost HK$6 million in business opportunities since the article was published.
In the judgment handed down on Friday, the judge found that the writer of the editorial had failed to take the steps that a reasonable and responsible journalist would take to ensure that what was published was accurate and fit for publication.