Umar Farooq Zahoor wins defamation case against Norway's VG tabloid

Pakistani court has ruled in favor of Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor in a defamation case against Norway's right-wing tabloid Verdens Gang (VG) and its journalist Rolf John Widerøe, ordering them to pay Rs30 million in damages and legal costs.

The verdict was issued by Judge Abid Zubair of the Additional District and Sessions Court in Ferozwala, who found that the VG Chief Editor and reporter had deliberately published defamatory content against Zahoor, damaging his reputation.

The court proceedings were held ex-parte after both defendants failed to appear despite repeated summons and were previously declared proclaimed offenders by the court. Notices had also been sent to their known addresses in Norway.

According to the ruling, the defamatory content in question was “false, malicious, and intended to ridicule” Zahoor, who the court described as a respected businessman and philanthropist.

The court noted that the defendants’ reporting lacked evidence, was one-sided, and violated journalistic ethics.

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Zahoor had accused the tabloid and its journalist of running a targeted campaign against him, which he alleged was driven by personal bias, racism, and Islamophobia.

His lawyers maintained that VG had concealed key facts, including legal developments in Norway that cleared Zahoor of any wrongdoing in connection with the Nordea Bank fraud case.

The lawsuit also pointed to a Norwegian court’s earlier remarks implicating Zahoor, which were later overturned by an appellate court. Zahoor’s legal team argued that VG failed to report these developments and continued publishing stories harmful to his reputation.