No Toshakhana and Hilal-e-Imtiaz connection: Tycoon hits back at Norway tabloid with defamation lawsuit

LONDON: Dubai-based business tycoon Umar Farooq Zahoor has sued Norwegian right-wing Verdens Gang (VG) tabloid and its reporter Rolf John Wideroe for publishing a defamatory article.

According to a copy of the defamation lawsuit notice sent to the paper over an article by Wideroe, Zahoor’s lawyers have accused the paper of Islamophobia, racism and xenophobia for making several false allegations.

Hilal-e-Imtiaz: The legal notice/suit states that the "name of our client Umar Farooq Zahoor has been approved for conferment of civil award Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the president of Pakistan in acknowledgment of his efforts and meritorious services in bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in country as direct foreign investment.”

Racism and Islamophobia: Zahoor’s lawyers have accused the right-wing tabloid of targeting the businessman “with malicious intent for the last fifteen years by publishing defamatory articles”. The notice says that "the main reason for orchestrating this false campaign is Islamophobia, racism and your personal score against our client. That article in question is an ongoing onslaught by your tabloid against our client in order to tarnish his reputation, dignity, honour, business and social status on account of racism, settling personal score and for illegal/unlawful purposes”.

The lawsuit elaborates: “In your article, you have also mentioned the Medal of Honours awarded to our client by the President of Equatorial Guinea in Africa in recognition of his services for opening of the power plant in August 2023. At the same time you have levelled corruption allegations against the said president. This foiled attempt on your part to link conferment of two awards on our client amidst allegations of corruption and fraud reflects mala fide and deliberate effort to defame our client.... It is clear beyond any doubt that your tabloid is raising false allegations against our client without any proof and the same is defamatory.”

Nordea Bank case facts: Zahoor’s lawyers have highlighted that the tabloid’s personalised campaign is biased and Islamophobic as it has deliberately hidden key facts while attacking Zahoor. 

The lawsuit has rejected allegations of fraud by Zahoor in the Nordea Bank Norway fraud case. It says the Norwegian-born Zahoor moved to Dubai around 20 years ago in 2005 and that "a case was registered at Norway in the year 2010 wherein certain officials of Nordea Bank of Norway in collusion with some private persons fraudulently deprived one Randi Nelson of a colossal sum of money and transferred the said amount to the Banks in UAE and Norway. It is worth mentioning here that our client has never been to Norway since 2005 whereas the alleged occurrence took place in the year 2010. The Law Enforcement Agencies of Norway initially initiated the investigation in the year 2011. The persons involved in the crime were prosecuted in Norway and some were punished and some of them were acquitted".

UAE turns down request: The notice further says that "our client was also made part of investigation for merely having connection with the persons at UAE allegedly involved in the said fraud and due to passing by remarks of the judge who conducted the trial of Nordea Bank fraud. The aforesaid remarks were passed without any proof of involvement of our client in the fraud. It was for this reason that the decision and remarks of the Judge were turned over by the Appellate Court. The investigation initiated against our client was closed in the year 2013 due to lack of evidence. It is astonishing that neither the news of closure of investigation nor the turning over of the remarks of Trial Judge was reported by your tabloid.”

INTERPOL warrant vacated: The defamation lawsuit says that the Norwegian authorities reopened the investigation in 2015 and obtained a red warrant for Zahoor from INTERPOL but the Law Enforcement Agency at the UAE refused to hand Zahoor over to the Norwegian authorities as the Norway prosecution failed to provide any evidence regarding his involvement in the alleged crime. 

The lawsuit says: “INTERPOL reviewed the case of Umar Farooq Zahoor in its 110th Session held from 30th Sept 2019 to 4th Oct 2019 and ordered deletion of his Red Warrants after thoroughly probing into allegations in the light of evidence submitted by Norwegian authorities. The said decision of INTERPOL was accepted by the Norwegian authorities which is still intact."

Norway case vindication: “However, Umar Farooq Zahoor joined the investigation in good faith and eventually the investigation was closed for good. Same has been verified by the Norway Police vide its letter dated 20.05.2020. The Oslo Police Department also sent the proposal for closure of the aforesaid case vide Letter dated 20.12.2021 to the Public Prosecutor Office Oslo.”

Judge Arild Nesdal’s porn conviction: The lawsuit says that the tabloid VG deliberately did not tell its readers that the Presiding Judicial Officer namely Arild Nesdal who gave passing remarks against Umar Farooq Zahoor, relied upon by the tabloid, while awarding sentence to one of the accused in the alleged fraud has himself been convicted in child pornography offences. 

The lawsuit says that Wideroe is aware of the grave nature of the crime but the tabloid intentionally concealed this important fact while covering the Nordea Bank case.

Vindication in Pakistan: The lawsuit says that Shehzad Akbar, ex-advisor to former PM Imran Khan on accountability, in connivance with Zahoor’s ex-wife Khushbakht Mirza again opened the same case in Pakistan. Zahoor’s lawyers have said in the lawsuit that: “It is also noteworthy that the case was registered against our client without following due process of law and the approval was obtained from the PTI Govt Cabinet by concealing the facts and a First Information Report (FIR) No 40/20 was registered on the same facts which had already been investigated multiple times in Norway and every time case was closed due to lack of evidence. Upon learning about the FIR, Mr Zahoor joined the investigation and a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The JIT after a thorough investigation recommended the cancellation of the FIR. In the light thereof, the Learned Court at Pakistan vide its Order dated 11.05.2023 was pleased to cancel the FIR and acquitted our client. These facts prove that allegations of fraud against our client are a bunch of lies and our client has been vindicated at last in two jurisdictions.”

False police case: The suit also reveals that the Norwegian tabloid registered a criminal case against Zahoor on allegations of threatening the tabloid but the case has also been dismissed by the Oslo Police after thorough probe vide notification dated 23.03.2023. “It is beyond imagination how our client can threaten your tabloid while not being in Norway".

Proclaimed offender: The lawsuit says Wideroe has been a proclaimed offender in Pakistan since 2015. “A criminal case bearing No 222/2015 was registered against him for depriving a Pakistani citizen Maqsood Ali of ten million rupees by making a false promise of getting him a Norwegian passport during his visit to Nawabshah, Pakistan. 

It says: “After receiving hefty payment Mr Rolf J Wideroe firstly threatened Mr Maqsood Ali of dire consequences and finally managed to flee from Pakistan. The Law Enforcement Agency managed to secure non-bailable arrest warrants of Mr Rolf J Wideroe from the competent court of law. Subsequently, request for issuance of Red Warrants was made for Mr Rolf J Wideroe. He is still absconding from the process of law and [is] wanted by the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan. Your tabloid is continuously publishing stories of a proclaimed offender who intentionally distorts and conceals facts for his own personal gains.”

Ghana’s gas turbine case: The lawsuit says that the tabloid referred to Ghana’s gas turbine case and again failed to mention the facts of the matter, mainly that the gas deal has already been audited by different independent authorities and has been declared as beneficial for the state of Ghana.

It says: “In response to [the] hue and cry made by your tabloid regarding alleged corruption in the gas turbine project, the Government of Ghana ordered an independent audit of the deal and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC ) was engaged for the said purpose. The PWC after a complete audit cleared the deal. Similarly, opinion was sought from the Attorney General’s office of Ghana regarding the said deal who also declared the deal to be the beneficial one. The concealment of these important facts makes it abundantly clear that your tabloid is only publishing limited information just in order to malign our client.”

The lawsuit asks the tabloid to “immediately withdraw your article published against our client and publish an official apology” for “defaming our client through misreporting and distorting facts”, adding that "in case of failure to do so, we have instructions from our client to initiate criminal as well as civil action against your tabloid and your reporter at all the appropriate forums.”

The lawsuit adds that Umar Farooq Zahoor "has an impeccable reputation in different business and social circles for his business, social and philanthropy work. He enjoys respect in the diplomatic community as well..."