Telegraph Media Group has apologised and paid “substantial” damages in a libel settlement with tech entrepreneur Zia Chishti.
The payout follows Chishti winning the largest defamation damages award in Pakistani legal history last year against Narratives Magazine over reporting of the same allegations.
Between November 2021 and February 2023 The Telegraph repeatedly reported on allegations of sexual misconduct made by Tatiana Spottiswoode, a former employee of Chishti’s AI company Afiniti, to the United States Congress Judiciary Committee.
The advisory board of Afiniti, which Chishti founded, included Lord David Cameron, former Times Newspapers chairman Andrew Knight and former BP chief executive Lord John Browne but all left after reporting of the allegations. Princess Beatrice is its vice president of partnerships and strategy.
Chishti denies the allegations and began libel proceedings against The Telegraph.
In July 2023 a High Court judge found that the “plainly defamatory” meaning of two Telegraph articles was that: “Since being introduced to her by her father when she was thirteen and he was an adult, the claimant groomed Tatiana Spottiswoode with sexual intent.
“He further pursued her with inducements and threats, culminating in a brief sexual relationship when they were adults, which on his side was abusive and violent, and which she quickly terminated.”
The Telegraph initially sought to justify its reporting as being in the public interest and substantially true but has now withdrawn its defence.
It has settled the claim by apologising to Chishti in court, on its website and in the newspaper, paying substantial damages “compensating him for the harm the allegations caused him”, and contributing towards his legal costs.
The Telegraph apology states: “A series of articles published by the Telegraph from November 2021 to February 2023 reported on allegations made by a former employee of Afiniti, Tatiana Spottiswoode to the United States Congress, about the company’s founder and CEO, Zia Chishti. Mr Chishti strongly disputes these allegations. Although Mr Chishti sought to do so, Congress did not give him the opportunity to refute the allegations.
“Mr Chishti issued libel proceedings against the Telegraph as to one of the articles. The High Court determined that the article had alleged that ‘since being introduced to Ms Spottiswoode by her father when she was thirteen and Mr Chishti was an adult, Mr Chishti groomed Ms Spottiswoode with sexual intent. Mr Chishti further pursued her with inducements and threats, culminating in a brief sexual relationship when they were adults, which on his side was abusive and violent, and which she quickly terminated’.
“On 17 March 2025 The Telegraph made a statement in open court that it withdraws its earlier position that the above allegations were true and that they were made in the public interest. The Telegraph apologises to Mr Chishti and his family for the harm they have been caused. Finally, The Telegraph has agreed to pay Mr Chishti a substantial sum by way of damages and a contribution to his legal costs.
“With these steps, The Telegraph and Mr Chishti have agreed to end the litigation between them.”
The online apology has been published on top of 13 Telegraph articles previously written about Chishti as well as on its own page.
Chishti said: “I did not commit the horrific acts Ms. Spottiswoode and The Telegraph alleged against me. These allegations have created a three-and-a-half-year ordeal that has critically hurt my family and severely damaged my reputation and business interests.
“The Telegraph has now withdrawn its position that the allegations it published were true and has apologised for the harm it has caused in publishing these allegations. This apology helps repair the extensive damage to me in the United Kingdom.
“I am now hopeful that in the United States the newly elected Congress gives me the same platform to deny the allegations against me as it gave my accuser to make the allegations.”
Ben Chew, partner at Sheppard Mullin and Chishti’s legal counsel in the US, said: “The Telegraph, one of the newspapers of record in the United Kingdom, has abandoned its defence of truth as to the Spottiswoode-related allegations and has now apologised to Mr Chishti in open court.
“Following his decisive victory in a similar defamation case in Pakistan, where he obtained a record judgment, this constitutes further vindication for Mr Chishti.”
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