Gerry Adams has won a libel case against the BBC over a Spotlight NI documentary and an accompanying online article.
The 2016 programme and article contained claims from an anonymous source that Adams sanctioned the 2006 murder of British agent Dennis Donaldson.
Adams sued the BBC over the claims, which the organisation argued were couched as allegations but Adams argued were presented as fact.
The former Sinn Féin leader will received €100,000 (£84,000) in damages.
In a statement following the ruling, Adam’s solicitor, Paul Tweed, said the allegation was “totally untrue and defamatory”.
“The BBC Spotlight team should not have included it in their broadcast.”
Denis Donaldson was a key figure in Sinn Féin’s rise as a political force in Northern Ireland, but was found murdered in 2006 after it emerged he had worked for the police and MI5 inside the political party for 20 years.
In the 2016 BBC Spotlight NI programme and online article, an anonymous source alleged Adams had sanctioned Donaldson’s murder.
Adams denied the claims and sued the BBC for defamation. The organisation argued the source’s claims fell under fair and reasonable publication in the public interest.
The BBC argued the source’s comments were also supported by five other sources.