Romanian News Outlet Targeted in SLAPP Lawsuit

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In a bold legal move, Romanian businessman Jorgan Faff has sued Context.ro, the investigative news outlet and OCCRP member in Romania, claiming that a series of the outlet’s investigation articles regarding a stalled golf course project have damaged his reputation and his finances.

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Reported by

Zdravko Ljubas
March 26th, 2024

In what appears to be a strategic lawsuit against public participation – a so-called SLAPP – Faff is seeking a staggering 3.4 million euro (US$3.68 million) in compensation from Context.ro for the purported damages he claims to have suffered.

In his lawsuit filed on Feb 29, Faff claimed that he lost a lucrative aviation contract directly because of Context.ro’s investigative reporting. Allegedly, his business partner came across the articles, leading to the cancellation of a 3.3 million euro ($3.57 million) deal with Faff’s aviation company. Additionally, he is seeking 100,000 euro ($108,358) in damages, citing the psychological distress caused by the journalistic investigations.

“This is a classic SLAPP case that is meant to stop journalists from tracking public funds and making those responsible accountable for losing the hard-earned money of EU citizens,” according to Attila Biro, Context.ro co-founder and editor-in-chief.

He underscored Context.ro’s commitment to serving the public interest by ensuring transparent and accountable use of taxpayers’ money, pledging to safeguard against any potential misuse or fraud.

Context.ro claims to have uncovered that despite substantial investments of 2 million euro ($2.16 million) from both EU funds and the state budget, the proposed golf course in Sibiu County remained a mere blueprint.

The investigation revealed that the recipient of these hefty investments was a company owned by none other than Jurgen Faff.

Despite official assertions that payments were made only after building materials were delivered to the construction site, the outlet’s investigation revealed that a portion of the funds was paid without proof of the corresponding delivery.

Following Context.ro’s investigation, the Romanian Anti-Corruption Directorate, launched a criminal probe into the allegations. In a separate case, the Romanian government won a lawsuit to recover funds allocated for the golf course construction.

Jurgen Faff appears keen to deflect blame onto journalists, suggesting that shortly before Context.ro published its investigative reports, he received a mysterious call demanding payment to halt the articles from being published. However, he failed to provide any evidence to confirm the alleged blackmail attempt.

Context.ro strongly refuted the accusation, emphasizing that their only request to Faff was for an explanation regarding the allocation of EU funds into the golf course project he oversaw. He never replied.