Key facts
- Mohamed Amersi is suing the BBC for defamation over allegations of corruption.
- Amersi claims the BBC's reporting cost him a knighthood and a peerage.
- The BBC reported Amersi's alleged involvement in corrupt payments during his work for Telia in Uzbekistan.
- The BBC alleges a $220 million payment in 2010 was for Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the then-president of Uzbekistan.
- Amersi denies knowledge of Karimova's beneficial ownership of the company receiving the payment.
Mohamed Amersi, a significant donor to the Conservative and Reform UK parties, has initiated a defamation lawsuit against the BBC, alleging that its reporting on his past business dealings has severely damaged his reputation. The High Court heard on Wednesday that a 2021 BBC Panorama episode and a related article suggested Amersi was involved in corrupt payments during his advisory role for the Swedish company Telia in Uzbekistan. Amersi claims this reporting cost him a knighthood and a peerage, and led to him being debanked by a Swiss bank. The BBC is defending its content, asserting truth and public interest, and questioning the extent of Amersi's reputational harm and the evidence supporting his claims.