Qatari royals claim Irish businessman’s defamation claim should not be heard in Ireland

Lawyers representing parties including senior members of the Qatari royal family and the owner of several luxury hotels claim that defamation proceedings against them by an Irish businessman cannot be heard before the Irish courts.

Ronnie Delany has brought proceedings alleging he was defamed and his reputation damaged in letters he alleges were published to people in Ireland as part of a conspiracy against him.

He seeks damages against parties including Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of the Gulf state of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabber Al Thani, who is a businessman and Qatari politician, Maybourne Hotels Ltd, and the hotel group’s chief executive Marc Socker.

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Maybourne owns and operates the Berkeley, Claridge’s and The Connaught hotels in London, and Mr Delany claims the two Qatar-based defendants jointly own the economic interest in the group.

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In a second set of related proceedings, Mr Delany is suing another company in the hotel group: French-based Sas Société Dexploitation Et De Dentention Hoteliere Vista, which owns and operates a hotel on the French riviera, and its legal representative Gilles De Boissieu, who, it is also alleged, distributed a letter that damaged his reputation.

Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani is also a defendant in the action against the French-based defendants.

The claims are denied, and the defendants, represented by Marcus Dowling SC and Stephen Byrne, have brought pre-trial motions seeking to have the actions struck out on the basis that the Irish courts lack the jurisdiction to hear the claims. The defendants argue that the claims cannot be heard before the Irish courts and argue that the cases should have been brought before the French and British courts.

Mr Delany, represented by Paul McGarry SC, opposes the motions

He claims that as the letters were published to persons located in Ireland, including his associate and businessman Paddy McKillen, he is entitled to bring defamation proceedings in this jurisdiction.

Pre-trial motions

In his submissions to the court, Mr Dowling said there was no evidence the letter sent to Mr McKillen was read by anyone in Ireland. Mr McKillen, he said, received the letter when in Japan. He received the letter as an image sent by an employee. There was no evidence before the court that Mr McKillen’s employee was in Ireland when she forwarded the letter to him.

The hearing of the pre-trial motions opened before Mr Justice Conor Dignam on Wednesday and is expected to run for several days.

Mr Delany’s actions relate to letters allegedly published to individuals in Ireland and elsewhere on April 13th, 2021. Mr Delany, with an address at Chatham Street, Dublin, claims the letters were published by the hotel group and Mr Socker in their capacity as servants and agents of the Qatari defendants.

He further alleges the publication occurred as part of a conspiracy against him. He seeks damages, including exemplary and punitive damages, for alleged defamation, conspiracy against him and the infliction of loss against him by unlawful means. And he wants an injunction preventing the defendants from republishing the letters.