Ladner resident and former premier Bill Vander Zalm has been found guilty of defaming former conflict of interest commissioner Ted Hughes.
A B.C. Supreme Court jury made the ruling Thursday.
Hughes was awarded damages of $60,000.
Vander Zalm, the former Social Credit premier, was sued by Hughes over material in Vander Zalm's self-published autobiography, For the People.
Hughes alleged the book contains false and malicious statements that defamed him.
Vander Zalm denied the allegations.
In his book, Vander Zalm claimed Hughes was biased and politically partisan over a report the commissioner made looking into the controversial sale of Vander Zalm's Fantasy Gardens.
The premier resigned afterwards, triggering the end of Social Credit as a force in B.C. politics.
