Back to Index

VOP trustees further remanded
The Standard (Zimbabwe)
March 13, 2006

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=11&id=260

VOP lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, argued that the State did not have sufficient evidence to warrant a trial but Harare Magistrate Rebecca Takavadiyi ruled that there was "reasonable suspicion that the directors had committed a crime".

The directors are accused of breaching Section 71 of the Broadcasting Act that forbids broadcasters from operating in Zimbabwe without a licence.

Mtetwa argued last week that VOP did not broadcast from Zimbabwe and that it did not have a transmitter that would allow it to do so.

"The court made a ruling that there is reasonable evidence to place the accused on remand. The application that had been made by Mtetwa for refusal of further remand was dismissed. The lawyer argued that the facts alleged by the State did not disclose that the accused had committed an offence but her application was unsuccessful," an official from the Zimbabwe Lawyers’ from Human Rights told The Standard.

The trustees are David Masunda, Lawrence Chibwe, Nhlanhla Ngwenya, Arnold Tsunga, Millie Phiri, Isabella Matambanadzo and John Masuku.

The seven were arrested in January and brought before the courts after police raided VOP offices at Beverley Court and confiscated equipment that included computers and recorders.

The official said the matter was expected to proceed to trial at a date to be advised after the remand trial.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP