Simba Rushwaya
The High Court has granted bail to journalist Hopewell Chin’ono who is facing charges of trying to defeat the course of justice after he published several messages on his Twitter account while still on bail.
In giving Chin’ono bail, Justice Tawanda Chitapi adjudged that the magistrate who dealt with his case grossly misdirected herself and gave the condition that Chin’ono must not use his Twitter account to disseminate messages that obstruct the course of justice.
This came after police arrested the investigative journalist in contempt of court.
The scribe had spent six weeks in prison on accusation of supporting an anti-government protest that had been slated for July 31 fronted by MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala and Jacob Ngarivhume. He was subsequently released on bail in September pending trial.
Chin’ono was charged with contempt of court for making a post on Twitter that allegedly impaired the dignity of the Chief Justice Luke Malaba.
Before he was arrested in July, Chin’ono had published an expose on Twitter in which he alleged corruption involving a US$60 million purchase of protective clothing for health workers. Former Health minister Obadiah Moyo was fired after the expose.
Moyo is scheduled to stand trial in January next year in a case which also implicated one Delish Nguwaya.
