Orion Group sues Independent TV for defamation

The Orion Group yesterday filed a Tk 500 crore defamation case against Independent Television for airing “defamatory and false reports aimed at damaging the company’s reputation”.
The case filed with the court of Dhaka’s Fourth Joint District Judge Tamanna Farah set October 10 for a hearing on its acceptance, said Shahriar Ahmed, the plaintiff’s lawyer.
Independent TV’s Editor-in-Chief and CEO M Shamsur Rahman and reporter Abdullah Al Rafi are among the defendants.
According to the case statement, on September 13, Independent TV broadcasted a misleading report stating that Orion Group had embezzled funds from the government and laundered money abroad, using political connections in business, all the while failing to supply electricity from its seven power plants.
The statement said the allegations that Orion has misappropriated large sums through loans taken for power plant projects and transferred these funds abroad are baseless.
“Due to Independent TV’s false report, Orion has suffered significant damage to its reputation and business. As a result, Orion has filed a defamation suit seeking Tk500 crore in damages,” the statement added.
It further said the accusations involving the ownership of two foreign companies, one in Dubai and the other in China, are also false.