Former Respect Party MP George Galloway has paid libel damages to a former aide over comments he made to the Mail on Sunday and on his website.
Aisha Ali-Khan sued Galloway in the High Court after the former MP published a statement on his website in October 2012.
The matter was finally settled today when a statement was made on her behalf at the High Court.
Her solicitor, Mark Lewis, told Mr Justice Warby that the defamatory statement made by Galloway said a senior officer in the Met Police Counter Terrorism had been feeding disinformation aimed at damaging him to a national newspaper and to others aided by a member of staff in Bradford who had been suspended.
Lewis said: “Four days later, the defendant’s spokesman substantially repeated the claims to the Mail on Sunday which published an article stating that the claimant and the officer had conspired to run a dirty tricks campaign against the defendant and the Respect Party; that the claimant had been used as a police agent; and that the claimant had slept with the officer at the defendant’s home.”
The article in question is still available on Mail Online.
Lewis said Ms Ali-Khan had not been feeding disinformation or deceit to national newspapers or acting as a police agent and had not slept with the officer – whom she had married in a sharia law ceremony – at Galloway’s home.
Galloway’s counsel, Adam Speker, said the politician accepted that the article and interviews given by individuals for whom he bore responsibility in relation to Ms Ali-Khan contained defamatory accusations for which he apologised.
“He now withdraws these allegations. He has made a payment of damages for his defamatory comments and agreed to pay legal costs,” Speker added.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
