Sampa wins defamation case against Kachepa 360 A US court has ruled that commerce deputy minister Miles Sampa should be compensated US$50,000 by an online publication Kachepa 360 for defamation of character. According to the judgment by a Dedham court in Massachusetts, USA, delivered by Judge Patrick Brady, the promoter of Kachepa 360, Chisala Mulenga, a Zambian, who is based in the US, was ordered to pay Sampa US$50,000 plus interest at 12 per cent from November 2012. "This action was before the court on the motion of the plaintiff, Miles Sampa, for assessment of damages and entry of judgment following the default of the defendant, Chisala Mulenga. After notice and hearing, the court enters judgment in favour of the plaintiff in the amount of US $50,000 with prejudgment interest at the statutory rate from November 19, 2012 and costs," read the judgment. And in welcoming the ruling, Sampa, who is also Matero PF member of parliament, said he took up the matter in the US courts of law, where Mulenga was domiciled, in order for him to vindicate his name from what he termed the perennial slanderous and unsubstantiated allegations that were directed at him by Kachepa 360. He said although he welcomed criticism, he was of the belief that the journalism profession should be unbiased, factual and professional regardless of the location of the residence or the medium used to disseminate information. "I am a stronger believer in individual or collective freedom of expression and indeed freedom of the press. This, however, is not equivalent to freedom of defamation. Those who defame should be bold enough to defend themselves in the courts of law, be it locally or overseas. I decided on pursuing this matter in the relevant courts abroad where the defendant resides to demonstrate that accountability is a standard for all, even for online publications, which may feel that they are beyond the reach of the law," said Sampa. Sampa has since pledged to donate the funds from the judgment to a charity non- governmental organisation that supports the vulnerable both in his constituency, Matero and any other part of the country.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 07:54:17 +0000
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