A legal fight has been launched by an evening paper to challenge the secrecy surrounding a multi-million pound civil court case involving the state of Qatar.

The Jersey Evening Post is arguing for the lifting of reporting restrictions in the interests of open justice.

The case concerned millions of pounds deposited in three Jersey-registered trusts and focused on possible regulatory breaches by those trusts.

A criminal investigation was earlier abandoned by the authorities after a payment of £6m plus costs was made by the Qatari minister for foreign affairs as “reparation for perceived damage”.

It was feared that pursuing the investigation could threaten good relations between Jersey, the UK and Qatar.

But the subsequent civil hearing, in Jersey, was held ‘in camera’ and the Post has been threatened with contempt of court for reporting the mere existence of the proceedings, a threat that was later withdrawn by the island’s attorney general.

Civil proceedings over the trusts were discontinued at the end of May, it was revealed this week, at the same time that the Evening Post’s appeal began.

The paper is asking for secrecy orders to be reviewed so the case can be reported.

The Post claims: “The idea of an in camera hearing, followed by the imposition of a draconian press prohibition, without the provision of any explanation as to either decision, is so inimical to the principle of open justice that they should not be maintained.”

On Thursday the paper won an order that its representation should be heard in open court, despite protests from foreign affairs minister Sheikh Hamad Al Thani.

The hearing was adjourned to allow the newspaper time to reply to legal arguments filed by the Sheikh claiming restrictions could not be lifted because the case had ended.