On 22 July 2020, Zimbabwe’s High Court responded to the Econet’s Urgent Chamber Application which was filed by the Econet’s CEO on 21 July 2020. The Court suspended the police Warrant of Search and Seizure against Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited premises.
High Court Judge Edith Mushore granted an interim order sought by Econet to revoke the warrant. The Econet company argues in an Urgent Chamber application that the information requested by the police was too much, the information demanded by the warrant search as of January 2020 to June 2020, sought the number of registered and unregistered customers data, the financial statements of the transaction done by the customers, and the airtime credit records. Econet argues that the information would violate its privacy and that of its customers.
Econet is one of the network services providers in the country, the biggest business operator, so it valued the term and conditions which connect its customers to its business, the company also protect the customer’s privacy. Econet had argued in an urgent chamber application that accusations were “ridiculous” and part of a plot to undermine its market leadership position. That was the reason why the company applied for the suspension of the Warrant of Search and Seizure.
The government says black market foreign currency traders are using Econet’s mobile money platform to undermine the local currency and launder money. On 26 June 2020, Zimbabwe’s Press Release posted for the suspension of all monetary transactions on phone-based mobile money platforms, they posted that,“…Ecocash, however, which controls nearly 94% of all mobile money transactions is the centre pivot of this problem and it’s a resultant impact on Zimbabwe’s economy…”
Besides the fact that the Court had stopped the police to go ahead with the search warrant, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited is under the government accusation and its case is still under investigations, the legality will be determined at a full hearing in future.
