The Government says it welcomes the judgement of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar in the case ‘Fabian Picardo v Augustin Rosety Fernandez de Castro’. 

A statement from the Government follows below:

The Government and the Chief Minister, the Honourable Fabian Picardo QC, have welcomed the judgement of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar in the case ‘Fabian Picardo v Augustin Rosety Fernandez de Castro’. 

The Chief Minister has been awarded damages of £20,000 against Augustin Rosety Fernandez de Castro, a member of the Spanish Parliament ofthe far-right party ‘Vox’. 

The Chief Minister took action against the publication in Gibraltar of a series of Tweets that were highly defamatory, untrue statements relating to Mr Picardo in relation to his role asChief Minister of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar. 

All monies recovered will be donated to a Gibraltar charity. Costs have also been ordered to be paid by Mr Rosetty, with the sums to be assessed by the Court at a subsequent hearing. 

Enforcement proceedings will now follow in Spain. Mr Picardo has already successfully enforced a libel damages award against Manos Limpias in Spain. 

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP, said: ‘The judgement of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar exposes the untrue and defamatory comments by a member ofthe Spanish far-right Party Vox for what they are: lies and fabrications, with no basis whatsoever in reality. The Government of Gibraltar for as long as I am Chief Minister of Gibraltar will never allow those who seek to defame us and do us harm to tarnish Gibraltar’s good name or the reputation of the good people of Gibraltar.’ 

Attached is a copy ofthe relevantjudgement oftheChief Justice ofthe SupremeCourt of Gibraltar.