Tesco case update: Guardian files defence

The Guardian have filed their defence against the Tesco libel claim. In line with their piece from a little while ago, they have bowed to the libel claim but are resisting the charge of malicious falsehood.

They also maintain that Tesco does evade its tax obligations and that its ethical stance is "a sham". The defence papers as filed calculate that Tesco have avoided Stamp Duty Land Tax to the tune of £85-95m, which though not as large as the original claim of hundreds of millions evaded in corporation tax is still a tidy sum of money. The defence says: "SDLT avoidance was the principal objective of the structure of the schemes analysed in the articles. Tesco has carefully built up a reputation for not being party to tax avoidance and therefore for being socially responsible. That reputation is not deserved and the public have been misled."

Meanwhile, Kamol Kamoltrakul has been in touch saying that Tesco Lotus have still not been in touch with him. His defence was filed May 2.