by fanourıo » Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:57 pm
FURTHER THIS IS PAPADOPOULLOS, I QUOTE FROM CYPRUS MAIL
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2002
Law firm launches �illion libel suit over Milosevic allegations
By George Psyllides
A NICOSIA law office founded by the Chairman of DIKO, Tassos Papadopoulos, yesterday filed libel suits against a television station and a newspaper demanding over a million pounds in compensation for reports linking the office to the operations of offshore companies named in a report by the International War Crimes tribunal as acting on behalf of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.
According to the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague, where Milosevic is currently on trial for genocide, more than �3 billion was channelled by the former Yugoslav president and his associates through eight offshore companies in Cyprus between 1992 and 2000.
Several of the companies had been registered by Papadopoulos' law office, a common practice in Cyprus. But the law firm insists that beyond the registration, it had nothing to do with the companies' activities.
In a written statement signed by all the office partners, the firm said that the attempt to escalate the defamation against them had been obvious, especially in the past few days, adding Antenna television's reports on the company's activities had been clearly defamatory.
The statement also accused Alithia newspaper of regurgitating similar slander over a period of time.
"It is well known that Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos' dealings with the office's professional matters has been very limited in the past years because of his intense involvement in politics," the statement added.
The partners said they wanted to restore the truth to protect their authority, dignity and work from the campaign against them, which they said aimed in undermining Papadopoulos as a politician.
"The current and former members of the office, whom it was attempted to smear and degrade, have today filed law suits against Antenna and Alithia, demanding court injunctions and compensation of over one million pounds," the statement said.
They said that offshore companies were a small percentage of the firm's field of operations and that Papadopoulos in particular had nothing to do with them.
"Everyone knows this, even those who are trying of course to smear his name." the statement said.
"It is unacceptable to blame law offices, which found or act on behalf of offshore companies, and identify lawyers with clients by referring to their operations," it added.
The partners accused Antenna and Alithia of trying to link them to Milosevic and to a greater extent to criminal acts, adding that such an attempt was "monstrous and malicious".
"We do not know whether these companies had been engaged in any illegal activities and never, until today, has any authority drawn our attention to the potential involvement of any member of our office in an illicit action, " the statement said.
In a related development, the island's Bar Association held an extraordinary meeting on Monday to examine lawyers' involvement in the procedures for registering offshore companies.
The meeting concluded that lawyers should not be involved in the business activities of these companies and that unfounded attacks or criticisms against them were unacceptable.
In a written statement issued after the meeting, the association said lawyers would safeguard their dignity and professional reliability with all legal means at their disposal.
"The provision of lawyers' services in registering and operation of offshore companies should not be identified with the business operations of these companies," the statement said.
The association said it was absolutely legal for lawyers to act as directors or secretaries of a company they had registered or even to own shares on behalf of their clients or shareholders after getting the permission of the Central Bank.
The Chairman of the association, Nicos Papaefstathiou, who called the meeting, had asked to be exempted because he is a partner with Papadopoulos' firm and was also named in some reports.
Papaefstathiou left the meeting because, as he said, he did not want it to seem that he had influenced the conclusions of the meeting in any way.
Copyright Cyprus Mail 2002
