Embattled former cabinet minister Ignatius Chombo has yet again been dragged before the court on fresh charges of criminal abuse of office.
Chombo(67) who is currently charged with Lazarus Chimba(72) on allegations of intentionally depriving a Joyce Munamati of a property she was trying to purchase was released on bail.
The issue appeared before a Harare magistrate Barbara Mateko and it was postponed to September 4.
The State led by prosecutor Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that sometime in 2002, Munamati who was the acting provincial Registrar for Manicaland province and Fred Kanzama the former member of parliament for Mutare South constituency were in a relationship which resulted in the two having a son out of wedlock.
During the same year, Munamati occupied Kipling road property in Mutare being a government house, which was reserved for provincial Registrars for Manicaland province.
On march 1 2002 ,Joyce Munamati then signed a lease agreement which was entered between her and the then Ministry of Local Government , Public Works and Urban Development at Mutare Provincial public works office for the occupation of the house.
Sometime in 2007, Joyce submitted an application to purchase the property to the then Acting Provincial Public works officer Manicaland under the then Ministry of Local Government ,public works and urban development.
The application was forwarded to the secretary of the local government , public works and urban development with no objection to the request Chimba objected to the request citing shortages of rented accommodation to purchase the property.
The state heard that Kanzama who was not a civil servant having knowledge that Munamati’s application was turned down approached chombo and expressed his desire to purchase the property and Chombo then gave verbal instructions to chimba that he had to sell the property.
Further chombo and his co-accused acting in common purpose gave an instruction to one shingairai Chekure to complete an account opening the sheet in the name of Kanzama to facilitate the payment of the property and both accused persons entered into an agreement of sale with Kanzama at a cost of ZW$70 trillion which was duly paid.
