Daily Star articles caused "considerable stress and embarrassment."

THE CHIEF finance officer for the BBC, Zarin Patel, is suing the Daily Star for libel over stories which made her look like allowed BBC employees to dodge tax, she claims.

Patel argues the articles headlined "Dodge tax or face the sack! BBC tells its stars" and "Beeb con must stop", published on July 24, falsely libelled her as having "connived" in plans for BBC employees to dodge tax and save the broadcasting giant millions of pounds.

She alleges that the Daily Star leader article meant she "had devised or connived in the BBC's deplorable practice of ordering its star employees, under pain of dismissal, to dodge tax by creating personal service companies so as to allow the BBC to save millions of pounds".

This practice, where people's pay goes through companies they have set up, is legal and the method of payment is used by a wide variety of public and commercial organisations.

In a claim form filed at the high court in London, Patel claims the stories exposed her to public scandal and contempt, seriously injured her reputation, and caused her considerable stress and embarrassment.

She is demanding damages and a permanent injunction and its is understood she is  using the BBC's in-house litigation department to sue the paper.

A spokesman for Northern & Shell, the owners of the Daily Star, declined to comment.

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