(FLIP/IFEX) – Journalist Roberto Posada García Peña, also known as “D’Artagnan”, of the daily “El Tiempo”, is no longer facing legal action for libel. A Bogotá Superior Court prosecutor ruled that the journalist, by publishing a correction, had properly addressed a matter involving businesman Pedro Juan Moreno Villa. The prosecutor declared the case closed. Following […]
(FLIP/IFEX) – Journalist Roberto Posada García Peña, also known as “D’Artagnan”, of the daily “El Tiempo”, is no longer facing legal action for libel. A Bogotá Superior Court prosecutor ruled that the journalist, by publishing a correction, had properly addressed a matter involving businesman Pedro Juan Moreno Villa. The prosecutor declared the case closed.
Following the publication of two articles by the journalist in March 2002, entitled, “La hora de Fabio” and “Al estilo Pedro Juan Moreno”, Moreno, who is referred to in the articles, accused D’Artagnan of damaging his honour and requested that the journalist publish a correction. On 22 June 2002, the journalist complied with the request.
The prosecutor in charge of the case at the time ruled that the correction did not meet the necessary legal criteria and decided to pursue legal action against D’Artagnan. The decision was appealed.
Subsequently, the Bogotá Superior Court prosecutor absolved D’Artagnan. The prosecutor argued that the clarity and content of the correction are what is important and that these were satisfactory in D’Artagnan’s case.
Moreno told FLIP that “the decision is an embarrassment.” The businessman said he agreed with the first prosecutor’s opinion that the correction published by D’Artagnan was not satisfactory.
FLIP believes that the journalist’s correction does meet the criteria set by the Constitutional Court and that this decision sets a precedent for other similar cases.
