Print this page
11-05-2008

ITI Group wins civil suit against Ministry of Defense

By FNE Staff

    The Polish Ministry of Defense, representing the State Treasury, agreed to an out of court settlement with Polish media group ITI on May 8.

    According to a press statement from ITI (www.iti.pl), the Minister of Defense must issue a public apology within two weeks for defamatory remarks made by the former minister in February 2007 claiming the ITI "was actively engaged in the set-up of a spy network in Western European countries and in the financing of such network."

    The public announcement to be issued by the Minister states in part: "The Minister of Defence apologizes to Mr. Jan Wejchert, Mr. Mariusz Walter and the ITI Group" for "unauthorized, injurious information, questioning their business trustworthiness, claiming that Mr. Jan Wejchert, Mr. Mariusz Walter and the ITI Group were cooperating with the special military services of the People's Republic of Poland (PRL), participated in placing agents of the PRL military intelligence in western European countries and financed the agents' operation."

    ITI's press statement concludes that the ruling confirms its position "that such wrong information was issued with the sole purpose to defame the good name of the ITI Group and its founders, in attempt to attack and undermine independent media in Poland and to question the credibility of the leading independent and reliable Polish news organisation."

    ITI's extensive holdings include the commercial broadcaster TVN, multiplex exhibitor Multikino, digital platform "n", and internet portal onet.pl.