New York Times correspondent Jeffrey Moyo has had his application for discharge dismissed by a Bulawayo court with the case now set to proceed to a full trial.
Moyo is facing charges of breaching sections of the Immigration Act.
In his ruling, Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira said the scribe had a case to answer with his trial set to commence on April 20, 2022.
The scribe was being jointly charged with Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) officer, Thabang Manhika.
Manhika has since been acquitted.
They were accused of allegedly facilitating the fraudulent entry into Zimbabwe of two American journalists Christina Goldbaum and Joao Silva by providing them with fake media accreditation cards.
Speaking to journalists, Moyo’s lawyer Kathleen Mpofu said the magistrate had ruled that the state had enough evidence to put Moyo to his defence.
“We have just attended the ruling of the application for discharge at the close of the state case and the Magistrate dismissed the application. He basically found that the state had led enough evidence for Mr Moyo to be put to his defence,” said Mpofu.
“In coming to this findings, it seems the Magistrate relied on the fact that the state had led the evidence of the allegedly false accreditation cards that had been obtained by foreign journalists and based on his interpretation of the evidence led by the state , he found that it was sufficient to put the accused to his defence.”
