THE Trinidad Express has emerged victorious in a multi-million-dollar civil claim for defamation that was brought against it arising from a 2016 series of reports concerning the purchase of wine for President’s House.

The lawsuit was brought by former Presidential private secretary Pramati Noe, her husband Antonio Piccolo, and their company, Italian Import & Export Ltd.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Robin Mohammed on Wednesday, the court ruled that although the newspaper’s articles were defamatory of Noe, the publication was protected under the common law defence of Reynolds Privilege—also known as the public interest privilege or responsible journalism.