Daily Star newspaper faces legal action from BBC Finance Director ...

Zarin Patel, Finance Director of the BBC, has launched a libel claim against the Daily Star newspaper.

The libel action centres on a story in which Ms Patel was named. The headline in the July story read: ?Dodge tax or face the sack! BBC tells its stars? and the paper printed an editorial in the same edition entitled: ?Beeb con must stop?.

The stories stated that senior stars of the corporation were ordered to set up personal services companies to receive payment. The idea, according to the story, was that stars would ?avoid paying national insurance, pension contributions and other benefits due to regular staff?.

It also claimed that BBC staff had said this was established so the corporation could save millions by not paying these contributions.

This has been highlighted as defamatory by Ms Patel and her legal team. She is seeking ?50,000 compensation in the libel action.

The newspaper is defending the claim, stating in a High Court file that it was ?fair comment on a matter of public interest, namely the conduct of the BBC, a publicly funded institution?.

Ms Patel?s file at the High Court states the story suggests she ?had devised or connived in the BBC?s deplorable practice of ordering its star employees, under pain of dismissal, to dodge tax?.

The BBC litigation department is named as her solicitor firm.

A spokesman for the BBC said: ?The BBC is paying for the case. Ms Patel?s professional reputation has been impugned because of her position as chief financial officer of the BBC. In these circumstances it is right that the BBC supports Ms Patel in her bid to clear her name and restore her professional reputation.?

A month ago the BBC stated it was changing its policy of paying top stars via personal services companies. The corporation came under severe criticism for doing so in the press and the via a Commons public accounts committee.

According to the newspaper, HMRC is not receiving the same amount of tax revenue from stars paid via personal service companies as it would from income tax.

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Source: http://www.claims4negligence.co.uk/personal-injury/daily-star-newspaper-faces-legal-action-from-bbc-finance-director/

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