Tommy Robinson is due to appear at the High Court on Tuesday to be questioned about his finances after he lost a libel case brought against him by a Syrian teenager.
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, commonly known by his alias Tommy Robinson, was sued by Jamal Hijazi after the then 15-year-old was assaulted at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield in October 2018.
Shortly after a video of the incident went viral, Robinson claimed in two Facebook videos that Hijazi was “not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school.”
After a pre-trial hearing in the libel case in November 2020, Robinson was ordered to pay £43,293 (approx. $57,100) in legal costs.
However, at a hearing in March 2021, Robinson said he was bankrupt.
Last month, Hijazi’s lawyers successfully applied for an order requiring Robinson to return to the High Court in London to answer questions about his finances.
Ian Helme said Robinson owes a “substantial sum” and that they intended to question Robinson “with a view to establishing what steps would be most proportionate to take with a view to maximising recovery.”
He later told the court that Hijazi’s lawyers had information “that what is stated in his bankruptcy application is not a full account of [Robinson’s] assets.”
While damages and legal costs from the libel trial were not mentioned, the former refugee was awarded £100,000 (approx. $132,000) in damages and Hijazi’s legal costs were thought to be more than £500,000 (approx. $659,400).
Judge John Dagnall ruled Robinson should return to court, finding there were “legitimate purposes” for making the order.
Tuesday’s hearing in front of Judge Dagnall is due to begin at 2 p.m.
