Pango trial postponed
09/02/2012 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
The first session of the Pango vs Top Channel trial was postponed by the
Supreme Court for another date, due to the absence of Judge Mirela
Fana.
On 4 March 2009, Top Channel broadcasted a video that implicated the former Minister of Culture, Ylli Pango, in a scandal that showed him asking sexual favors from a woman in exchange of a job. Pango considers the facts as untrue and a violation of his privacy.
Judge Agim Bendo of the Court of First Degree fined Top Channel with 400.000 EUR, but the Court of Appeal declared that there have been procedural violations regarding the administration of the evidence and that there were contradictions in the arguments of the decision, by asking the case to be reviewed at the First Degree by another Judge Panel.
The Supreme Court received a recourse from Ylli Pango, who asked them to order the Court of Appeal to take a decision for the case.
The 400.000 EUR fine against Top Channel was mentioned in the US Department of State report for the freedom of speech and human rights, and also at the Progress Report of the European Commission, as a case of investigative journalism that fights against high rank official’s corruption.
Top Channel
