They say all publicity is good publicity. But in the case of Indobrit magazine Editor Farah Damji, this might not necessarily be true. Nearly one year after the launch of her magazine which is now into it's fourth edition (due out next week she says), an extra-ordinary scandal has broken out about her private and professional life.

There is little doubt that recent articles about her in the press will put a big question mark over the future of Indobrit Magazine. In addition, there is also the danger that in the short term it might have a negative impact on Asian media and give it a bad reputation. Ok, make that a 'worse' reputation.

The scandal, which had been brewing for months through email gossip, finally blew up last week on Friday 28th of November when the Daily Mail published an account by Farah Damji about her affair with a mainstream author and a section editor at the Guardian.

What happens in people's private lives is of little concern to Asians in Media, which is definitely not a tabloid. However, Farah then approached us with the allegation that the Daily Mail "printed something that I didn't write".

At the time, the Mail made it clear that "Today, the Mail publishes Farah's version of events. It's woman scorned and the selfish amorality of feckless men. Most readers will conclude that all three are as bad as each other". It went on further to say: "Farah, incidentally, approached the Mail. She has received no payment.The two men refused to comment."

Farah Damji however denies this to AiM, saying instead "I did not approach the Daily Mail, they approached me, through one of the diarists and then through the editor of the Femail section Charlotte Kemp. At the time, well over a month ago, there was a lot of gossip, not so much in Asian Media but in mainstream media about my relationship with *****."

"I had heard that Private Eye and the Daily Express were about to do a piece on the end of the affair and the mess which surrounded it and I panicked. I wanted to get what I assumed would be a fair and moderate and honest version of events out before ****** and *******, a well known writer on British India could. These are two powerful and influential men and I felt they would have no problem scratching me out to save their own reputations once details of the affairs became public. In hindsight I should not have trusted the Daily Mail. I was told that they would publish what I gave them. They didn't."

The situation however has become more serious since then, with the publication in two well known papers about Farah Damji's past. Stories in the New York Post and the Mail on Sunday yesterday (7th Dec) have put her reputation under heavy strain.

Calling her a "con artist", the New York Post chronicles her dubious past and questions whether she's telling the truth about her affairs: "with Damji's track record, it could all be a pack of lies."

"In the mid-1990s, Damji made a name for herself first as a Manhattan art dealer and then as a Rikers Island inmate, accused of a convoluted cavalcade of crimes". The full article can be read here.

The Mail on Sunday however goes further in a deeply investigated and scathing piece. Talking of Farah Damji, it states: "Mention her name among Manhattan's contemporary art smart set and the victims of her many frauds still quiver with anger. Her lies and deceit have left a trail of debts that stretches as far as South Africa, from where she was deported. There is also an outstanding warrant for her arrest in East Hampton."

It goes on to say later: "At first meeting, Damji comes across as a cultured and beguiling businesswoman. She owns and edits Indobrit, an upmarket lifestyle magazine-for British Asians. But in reality she is a cunning and calculated adventuress who lies with the ease of a snake-oil salesman. 'She reinvents herself all the time,' said one close family friend. 'You can't trust anything she says. She is a dangerous woman who is always planning some scheme or other.' So who is this forceful character with a penchant for expensive clothes and Jimmy Choo shoes?"

The article provides some background family information and lists a series of criminal charges regarding forgery.

It then further alleges: "Always a step ahead of her creditors, Damji would re-establish her business under aliases. She was finally exposed as a con artist in June 1995 and was jailed after pleading guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court to five counts of grand larceny, possession of forged instruments and tampering with official records. She became known as the Artful Dodger but her activities were not humorous."

Farah has however vehemently denied the allegations and charges, saying that someone is running a smear campaign against her. She is also planning to sue the Mail on Sunday about the allegations, she told AiM today.

She also revealed that a new editor for Indobrit magazine is being brought in by the backers while she takes a step back from the limelight. Nevertheless, given the continuing media furore an impact is likely to be made not only on Ms Damji herself but Indobrit magazine too. Will the magazine be able to survive? Will it continue to have supporters and contributors? Only time will tell.

One thing is for certain, it isn't over yet. Farah still remains determined to forge ahead. She says: "The current issue of the magazine is by far the strongest. I am really proud of the efforts of my Indobrit crew and all our supporters. It's a miracle the magazine has managed to come out of the maelstrom but here we are, bigger, brighter and more contentious than we had imagined!"

Miracle is indeed the right word. Surreal is one that I'd use for my own experiences. The 4th edition of Indobrit, I'm told, is out next week.

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Some of the names have been taken out for legal reasons.