Libertas chairman resolves injunction against 'Village'

LIBERTAS CHAIRMAN Declan Ganley has resolved injunction proceedings against Villagemagazine over an article which includes a quote from Minister of State for Europe Dick Roche describing Mr Ganley as a "snake-oil salesman".

Mr Ganley also claimed the article contained other untrue and serious allegations which bore the meaning that he, through his conduct concerning telecommunications contracts in Iraq, is responsible through corruption for the deaths of many police officers and soldiers.

In an affidavit, Mr Ganley said all of the allegations made were “totally and utterly untrue”, without foundation and were “a deliberate attempt at character assassination”.

His credibility and reputation are central both to his involvement in Libertas and to his professional life, and Villagehad called these into question "and in fact goes further in that it expressly states that I am a fraud and a liar", he said.

Following publication of the article, entitled " The Beginning of the End for Declan Ganley" in the magazine's edition of February 6th last, Mr Ganley initiated libel proceedings against Ormond Quay Publishing Ltd, publishers of Village. Prior to the hearing of the action, his counsel, Peter Finlay SC, applied yesterday for an interim injunction requiring all copies of Village to be removed from shops and also requiring the article to be removed from the magazine's website.

Counsel also said he would be seeking to join the magazine’s editor, Michael Smith, and the author of the article, Kevin Barrington, to the action.

However, after talks between the sides, Mr Finlay told Mr Justice John MacMenamin yesterday afternoon that the parties had come to a resolution of the differences between them and he was happy for Eoin McCullough SC, for the defendants, to read an agreed statement to the court and for the case to be adjourned for two weeks.

The agreed statement said: "The Villagemagazine strongly upholds its right to engage in vigorous investigation and comment on matters of public interest. Mr Ganley not only supports, but advocates, this right.

"The Village, however, acknowledges that, given the opportunity, it would have been preferable to have interviewed Mr Ganley before publishing serious allegations about him.

“It has now been afforded this opportunity and will in its next edition, record and publish accurately the answers given by Mr Ganley in a wide ranging interview relating to both the issues giving rise to these proceedings and to other issues of interest to Mr Ganley and to the public.”

The case was then adjourned by the judge for two weeks.