A Pakistani court has ruled in favour of Dubai-based Pakistani-origin businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor in a high-profile defamation case against Norway’s far-right tabloid Verdens Gang (VG) and its reporter Rolf John Widerøe, concluding that they ran a sustained defamatory campaign aimed at damaging Zahoor’s reputation. The court ordered both defendants to pay Rs30 million in damages and legal costs to Zahoor.
The verdict, delivered by Judge Abid Zubair of the Additional District and Sessions Court in Ferozwala, came in response to a long-standing legal battle initiated by Zahoor, who accused VG and its reporter of falsely maligning him. The judge noted that evidence clearly established the defendants’ deliberate attempt to defame Zahoor by publishing false allegations that tarnished his reputation and subjected him to public ridicule.
The ruling was issued ex-parte, as both the VG chief editor and Rolf John Widerøe repeatedly refused to engage with the court, despite multiple summons and legal notices sent to their addresses in Norway. Late last year, the court declared both as proclaimed offenders for their continued non-compliance.
Judge Zubair’s judgment described Umar Farooq Zahoor as a respected figure in business and diplomatic circles, highlighting his philanthropic efforts, international business dealings amounting to nearly $5 billion, and advisory roles, including to royal families and African nations. The court recognised that the defamatory campaign was driven by malice, with the defendants allegedly targeting Zahoor based on his religion and ethnicity.
“The defendants, in collusion with each other, have been running a malicious campaign against the plaintiff for his religion and race. It is beyond doubt that the defendants continuously raised false allegations without any proof,” the judgment read. It further criticised the VG tabloid for one-sided reporting and failing to adhere to journalistic ethics.
Zahoor’s legal team argued that VG had waged a vendetta against him for over 15 years, driven by “Islamophobia, racism, and personal bias.” They accused the tabloid of consistently omitting critical facts, including the closure of investigations against Zahoor in the infamous Nordea Bank fraud case in Norway, where allegations had been made without evidence.
Zahoor was initially linked to the Nordea Bank Norway fraud case due to associations with individuals in the UAE allegedly involved in the scam. However, as his lawyers pointed out, Zahoor had not visited Norway since 2005, and the investigation—started in 2011—was closed in 2013 for lack of evidence. They highlighted that the Norwegian tabloid failed to report the dismissal of the case or the appellate court’s overturning of preliminary adverse remarks made by the trial judge.
Significantly, Zahoor’s lawyers revealed that the very judge cited by VG in its reporting, Arild Nesdal, was later convicted of child pornography offences—an essential fact the tabloid deliberately concealed.
The court was also informed that political actors in Pakistan, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s advisor Shehzad Akbar and Zahoor’s ex-wife Khushbakht Mirza, attempted to reopen the closed cases against Zahoor, but subsequent independent inquiries deemed these cases to be baseless and malicious.
The Oslo Police, meanwhile, dismissed VG’s criminal complaint against Zahoor over alleged threats, finding no evidence to support the accusation. “It is beyond imagination how our client can threaten your tabloid while not being in Norway,” Zahoor’s legal team noted.
The court ruling marks a significant legal victory for Zahoor, reinforcing his claims of a prolonged and unjustified campaign against him. With the damages awarded, the case underscores the importance of accountability in cross-border media reporting and highlights the serious legal consequences of defamation.
