Zurich judiciary sentences SRF journalists for defamation
Published: Monday, Nov 11th 2024, 17:00
العودة إلى البث المباشر
Two SRF journalists have been sentenced for slandering the "crypto prince" Dadvan Yousuf. They must pay him compensation of over CHF 10,000.
The journalists and Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) accepted the decisions and the penalty orders are legally binding. An SRF media spokeswoman confirmed a corresponding report by "Inside Paradeplatz" to the news agency Keystone-SDA. The fines of several thousand francs were imposed conditionally by the public prosecutor's office. In contrast to the compensation, these do not have to be paid.
Yousuf defended himself against a report by "SRF Investigativ", in which two journalists made allegations of terror financing. The public prosecutor's office initially wanted to discontinue the proceedings. However, the Zurich High Court came to the conclusion that the evidence was not necessarily sufficient and upheld an appeal by Yousuf. There was "no clear case of impunity" that would allow the case to be dropped.
SRF stands behind the reporting and bears the costs. No further information could be introduced into the proceedings without jeopardizing the source. SRF has therefore decided not to lodge an objection. However, the article will remain online. "For reasons of transparency, we are considering integrating an additional reference to the conclusion of the proceedings," the media office announced.
Fraud and money laundering
The reputation of the former "crypto prodigy" Yousuf has been deeply tarnished in recent years. By investing in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, he claimed to have become a millionaire as a teenager. However, criminal proceedings are now pending against him in the canton of Bern for commercial fraud and money laundering.
Yousuf came to Switzerland as a refugee from Kurdistan at the age of three and attracted media attention in Switzerland and abroad on several occasions as the "Crypto Prince".
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