The individuals involved in TCI Journal may have yet another defamation suit filed against them for their coverage of alleged corruption in Turks & Caicos Islands, a British territory. Turks & Caicos Weekly News reports:
Inflammatory news website the TCI Journal is being threatened with yet another lawsuit for apparently publishing “patently false” and “defamatory” statements – this time by the PDM Party.
Opposition leader Floyd Seymour is calling on the general public to help identify the controversial site’s anonymous editors and contributors.
Allegations that the PDM has “secret” bank accounts into which “unaccounted for” cash from wealthy developers was deposited have raised Party hackles.
Read more on Turks & Caicos Weekly News.
On August 14, Britain announced that it had suspended the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands after receiving and investigating allegations of systemic corruption and “serious dishonesty”. CNN reported:
The British government set up a commission of inquiry in July 2008 to look into possible corruption or other serious dishonesty in recent years of past and present elected members of the legislature.
The commission’s report, delivered May 31, found “information in abundance pointing to a high probability of systemic corruption and/or serious dishonesty” in the Turks and Caicos, the Foreign Office said.
“This, together with clear signs of political amorality and immaturity and of general administrative incompetence, demonstrated a need for urgent suspension in whole or in part of the constitution and for other legislative and administrative reforms,” the Foreign Office said.
The report also recommends criminal investigations into former Premier Michael Misick and four of his former Cabinet ministers.
Britain’s actions and acknowledgment of the likelihood of widespread corruption, while not proving that all statements made by TCI Journal are accurate, suggest that this is one of those cases where the courts should really set a high standard of proof on the plaintiff’s part before ordering the unmasking of an anonymous blogger.
Image credit: “Larval Masks” by Koen Cobbaert/Flickr, used under Creative Commons License
CORRECTED: The previous version of this story had the date of suspension incorrect. This version also adds a link to Britain’s investigation of the allegations of corruption.