CNA Staff, Feb 1, 2021 / 06:30 am
Australian prosecutors announced on Monday that they were dropping charges against individual journalists accused of breaching a gag order over the trial of Cardinal George Pell.
Prosecutor Lisa De Ferrari told the Supreme Court of Victoria on Feb. 1 that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had decided to drop the charges against the individuals after all 12 Australian media outlets accused of breaching the order agreed to plead guilty.
The media companies also signaled that they would pay part of the DPP's prosecution costs.
"Each corporate respondent has indicated that it will plead guilty, in respect of each publication for which they are charged, to contempt by breaching the proceeding suppression order," De Ferrari said, according to The Australian newspaper.