By SEAN INNISS

The Supreme Court has ruled against businessman and Confidential Source owner Mohammed Harajchi in a libel suit filed by international trader Dereck Turner.

Mr Turner was represented by attorney Carl Bethel of Bethel, Moss and Co.

"No defence having been served by the Defendants, it is this day adjudged that the defendants namely Mohammed Harajchi, Eden Holdings, Christopher Lunn and Wendell Ferguson do pay damages unto the Plaintiff the following sums of money to be assessed: Damages including, aggravated damages, compensatory damages, exemplary damages, interest on all sums of money due and owing pursuant to the Civil Procedure (Award of Interest) Act, 1992; and costs," read the ruling.

Mr Turner's claim was based on an article which appeared June 19, 2002, on the front page of Volume 32 of the Confidential Source newspaper headlined, "Paradise Island Resident Exposed" which was also published over the Internet on the Eden Holdings website, "theconfidentialcource.com".

The ruling was handed down on Nov. 15 after Mr Dereck Turner, the businessman who has presented plans to rebuild the World Trade Centre filed a writ on July 3 that named the defendants as Mohammed Harajchi, Eden Holdings, Christopher Lunn and Wendell Ferguson.

The dispute was publicized on July 11 of this year when notice of Turner's suit was published in The Nassau Guardian, The Tribune and The Punch.

The ruling was an "Interlocutory Judgment In Default of Defense" which meant that Mr Harajchi and the other defendants failed to file their defense in the stipulated two months time frame allowed.

The amount of damages to be paid would have to be assessed by the Supreme Court in the absence of an agreement between the parties, if no attempt is made to set the judgment aside.