THE Deputy Sheriff has seized computers and intercepted information from business online publication – The Source – in search of sensitive documents that Econet Wireless claimed were stolen.However, the move has widely been seen as a serious blow to freedom of expression.
High Court Judge, Justice Joseph Musakwa on March 16, 2015, granted an order for Econet Wireless and Steward Bank to search The Source premises in Harare’s Central Business District.
The Deputy Sheriff swooped the newsroom this morning (Thursday) and took away computers and other files which were handed to the High Court Registrar.
Econet Wireless and Steward Bank were cited as the applicants while The Source and its reporters are the respondents.
The application filed on March 11, 2015 showed that the applicants were aggrieved by two articles published by the online publication titled ‘Steward Bank seeks $2,1 million to settle Chiyangwa loan ’ and “Debt distressed Zimbabwe moves to reschedule domestic debt”. The articles were published on March 2, 2015 and February 26, 2015 respectively.
The Source has since approached the Constitutional Court.