A Chinese investor, Liu Yangxi, who is the Managing Director of BN Ceramics Industry Nigeria Limited and NB Ceramics Ltd, has approached a High Court in Abuja, praying it to award him the sum of N5billion over reports that falsely linked him to an alleged N17billion fraud.
The plaintiff, in his suit marked: CV/3993/2024, told the court that he was maliciously defamed in two articles that were published in Nigeria on August 3 and August 7.
Listed as defendants in the suit are Peoples Gazette Ltd (publisher of the Peoples Gazette – an online newspaper; Media Trust Ltd (publisher of Daily Trust newspaper) and Fidelis Akumatu who was described as a Correspondent.
Yangxi told the court that whereas one of the alleged offensive publications was captioned: “Petitions to EFCC, SSS accuse Chinese expatriate of colluding with bank manager to steal N17billion from two Nigerian ceramic companies,” he said the other publication was titled: “Bank Manager, Chinese expatriates’ N17billion fraud: A dangerous economic sabotage.”
He insisted that both publications did grievous damage to his reputation and exposed him to public disdain, disrepute, disregard and opprobrium.
According to the claimant: “The defendants, without verifying the facts contained in their respective articles or conducting proper investigations, published the above libelous words, knowing them to be false.
“The above published words have portrayed the claimant in the following negative light: a fraudulent person, a person who launders money, an impersonator, a person who does not care about the welfare of his workers, a murderer, a person who causes harm to his environment, a person who evades paying taxes and person who encourages fraudulent activities.
“The catchy libelous titles of the published articles portray the claimant as a person, who conspires with bank workers to launder money and commit fraud, and evades tax payment.
“It is the claimant’s averment that the said published articles are grievous, false and calculated to damage his image, goodwill and reputation.
“The articles have indeed tarnished the image and reputation of the claimant which he has built over the years as a law abiding expatriate and a morally upright person.
“The claimant’s business associates now see him and believe that the defendants have evidence to prove that he actually committed the alleged acts which includes; conspiracy to launder money, money laundering, tax evasion and impersonation.”
Consequently, he is praying the court to, among other things, declare that the publications amount to libel and particularly calculated to injure his reputation.
The claimant wants an order mandating the defendants, their servants, privies or agents to cause a withdrawal of the libelous materials.
As well as an order mandating the defendants to each publish an apology on three national newspapers for the libelous publications made against him in the publications of August 3, 2024 and August 7, 2024, respectively.
Besides, Yangxi is praying the court to award N5bn damages against each of the defendants for the libelous publications and also issue an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the defendants from further making any false and libelous publications against him.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.