Judge takes £1.6bn Staveley case off air
A COURT has shut down live footage of the tense case between Amanda Staveley and Barclays bank that was broadcast for almost two weeks.
A judge has decided that anyone wishing to watch the case must now attend the court in person, prompting appeals from the media.
It i s understood t hat media organisations have contacted the court to raise concerns that cutting the live stream limits the transparency of court proceedings. However, courts are not obliged to live stream cases and journalists can still watch in a separate room at the courthouse.
Financier Staveley is suing Barclays for £1.6 billion over claims that she was denied hundreds of millions in fees paid to other investors when she helped to broker a rescue of the bank in the financial crisis.
The footage of the case has led to several dramas. A BBC journalist was criticised for posting screenshots of the case on Twitter, which is against the law. Barclays’ lawyers also had to apologise after they were overheard saying Staveley was ‘obviously lying’ during evidence.
In the latest twists of the case, the court heard last week that Staveley’s investor, Sheikh Mansour, feared he looked ‘greedy’ if he did not hand over key concessions to Barclays in talks over the £7 billion rescue.
Staveley told the court: ‘The focus was: do we look like we are being greedy? And I said no, I promise you, you will look stupid later on if we agree these concessions. And they were fine about it.’
The case continues.