22 September 2004

Alert

Charges against ANZ directors dismissed


Incident details

Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, Rachel Kupara, Michael Mattinson, Brian Mutsau

acquitted
(MISA/IFEX) - On 20 September 2004, the charges against the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) and its four directors were dismissed. The publishing company and directors had been jointly charged with contempt of court and publishing "The Daily News" without a licence, in breach of Section 72 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

Harare Regional Magistrate Lillian Kudya acquitted the four directors - Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, Rachel Kupara, Michael Mattinson and Brian Mutsau - and the company, after ruling that the state had failed to prove its case against the accused.

The contempt of court charges emanated from judgments by the Supreme Court, the Administrative Court and the High Court, respectively, against the ANZ. The state failed to specify which judgment the accused were allegedly in contempt of to substantiate the alternative charge.

In her judgment, Magistrate Kudya said, "This is a case which had too many inconsistencies. The state did not lead any evidence on the main counts or alternative charge that this court could reasonably convict on."



Source:

Media Institute of Southern Africa
21 Johann Albrecht Street
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek
Namibia
director (@) misa.org
Phone: +264 61 232975
Fax: +264 61 248016
 

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Updates to this story

Chair of media commission retained despite bias against publisher applying for licence 15 November 2007 Four years after being banned, newspapers still in legal battle to resume publishing 12 September 2007 ANZ licensing decision falls to minister, following judge's ruling that media commission chairman is biased 20 March 2006

More on this case

ANZ directors plead not guilty to charges of publishing without a licence 14 June 2004 RSF calls for reopening of "The Daily News" printing press 22 December 2003

Zimbabwe

Foreign newspapers to be banned 6 February 2012 Charges against MMPZ staffers reduced 26 January 2012 Detained MMPZ staff freed on bail; journalist questioned 22 December 2011 Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe personnel denied freedom 13 December 2011 Unlawful detention and harassment of Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe personnel 7 December 2011 See all alerts: Zimbabwe


 
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