Supreme Court Rules Against Fake News: Inda and OKdiario Ordered to Compensate Pablo Iglesias

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court has ordered Eduardo Inda, the director of OKdiario, to compensate former government vice president Pablo Iglesias with €18,000 due to the publication of defamatory articles in May 2026. These articles falsely alleged that Iglesias received a substantial sum from the Venezuelan government, purportedly deposited in a tax haven bank. The Court deemed these publications as an unlawful infringement on Iglesias's right to honor and dignity. In addition to the monetary compensation, the Supreme Court mandated that Inda and OKdiario issue a formal notice that summarizes the key arguments from the ruling. They are also required to cease the dissemination of the disputed articles online and take necessary measures to prevent those articles from appearing in search engine results. Iglesias, who currently serves as the director of Canal Red and was the former secretary general of Podemos, reacted promptly to the ruling on social media. He expressed relief and vindication, stating, "I go with it but it is very blatant, Eduardo. Today finally, the Supreme Court condemns Eduardo Inda for the fake news about Grenada. It is not common but sometimes justice does justice." This ruling comes on the heels of revelations from El País, which acquired audio recordings of a conversation involving Francisco Martínez, the former number two at the Ministry of the Interior, and businessman Javier Pérez Dolset. In this exchange, Martínez admitted that they were aware the allegations against Iglesias were false—an orchestrated operation that was intended to discredit him politically. Martínez revealed that, despite their knowledge of the falsity of the claims regarding Iglesias’s supposed account at Euro Pacific Bank in Grenada, they were unable to stop Eugenio Pino, the then deputy operational director of the Police, from leaking the story to the media. This operation aimed to fabricate a narrative suggesting that Iglesias had received $272,325 from the Venezuelan government through secret banking channels, a claim that was later denied by the bank itself. This ruling marks a significant moment in the ongoing battle against the spread of misinformation, especially in the political arena. The Supreme Court's decision serves not only as a personal victory for Iglesias but also as a broader message about the responsibility of media outlets to report truthfully and ethically. As this case exemplifies, the repercussions of fake news can be severe, not just for the individual targeted, but for public trust in the media framework as a whole. Moving forward, the editorial standards of media outlets may be called into question, highlighting the importance of fact-checking and accountability in journalism. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2