David Rose responds to Moussavi’s claims on Shahzad Akbar meet

• David Rose rejects claims that he asked for a commission to arrange a meeting between Kaveh Moussavi and Shahzad Akbar
• I cannot imagine why would Kaveh make the details of the meeting public after 17 months, he says
• He says Moussavi asked him for a million pounds in exchange for information in Shahbaz Sharif's defamation case 

Daily Mail journalist David Rose has rubbished claims that he asked for a commission for arranging a meeting between Broadsheet LLC CEO Kaveh Moussavi and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s accountability advisor Shahzad Akbar.

According to Moussavi, Rose met him at his home and a deal was agreed that he will pay £250,000 in commission to Rose.

The Broadsheet owner has also claimed that Rose told him that he knew “new people” in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s administration and within days Shahzad Akbar flew to London on Rose’s request and a meeting was held in London, attended by the Daily Mail journalist and others.

A thread of posts released by Rose today on Twitter, however, has presented a different version of the tale.

"As I've already made clear, Moussavi's claim that I asked him for money for arranging a meeting with Shahzad Akbar to discuss the Broadsheet case is false. I really can't imagine why he's saying this in public now, 17 months after the meeting."

Rose in a counter claim, in fact, added: "But here's a funny thing. Earlier this month, after the preliminary hearing in the High Court in the Shahbaz Sharif defamation case, he told me he had information that would help us. But he asked for £1 million to provide it."

He shared screenshots of the conversation that took place with Moussavi on February 7 and his replies.

The conversation shows that Moussavi shared with him a Geo News story of Shahbaz Sharif-Daily Mail defamation meaning trial telling him: “Now your newspaper really needs help from me!”

Rose replied: “It was only a preliminary hearing and the PML-N reports are [ridiculous]. It is no victory for Shahbaz — if anything, the reverse. But if you have info that would help, let's have a chat.”

Moussavi then said: “I am waiting for my new contract. Otherwise, £1 million and it is your newspaper’s. Which is another way of saying yes I have.”

To which Rose responded by saying: “Sorry I am pinching myself. I thought I must be dreaming. Are you seriously suggesting that you have evidence that would assist the administration of justice and that you will only disclose it on receipts of £1 million?”

Moussavi then laughed at David Rose’s implication with laughing emojis that Daily Mail was interested in the administration of justice.

Kaveh wrote: “Administration of Justice at the hands of Daily Mail?”, “v another crook”, “give me a break”.

Rose, at the end of his thread, said: "Maybe one of the reporters who interviewed him about the meeting with Mr Akbar will now be able to discover what this great info he implies he has about the Sharif family consists of. Let's hope he doesn't ask for a million to give it up."

Read more: Broadsheet CEO says David Rose organised his meeting with Shahzad Akbar

A day earlier, in an interview, Moussavi had alleged that his first meeting in London with Akbar was organised by Rose who wanted Broadsheet to pay him a commission of £250,000 to settle his outstanding mortgage on his Oxford home in exchange for getting nearly $30 million paid to Broadsheet by the Government of Pakistan.

Moussavi said that not only did Rose organise his meeting with Akbar, but also participated in it at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on October 19, 2019, and attempted to find ways for Pakistan and Moussavi to work together.

Read more: Shahbaz Sharif scores round one victory in defamation fight with Daily Mail

Rose has never before spoken about the fact that he played a key role in organising the meeting.