Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

LOCAL NEWS

NPA drops criminal charges against ex-minister Chombo

Chombo

NPA drops charges against ex-minister Chombo. The ex-finance minister was charged with criminal abuse of office after he allegedly got a loan from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) under an agricultural support facility only to divert it to personal use.

He is now left with only two criminal accusations after more than 10 charges against him collapsed. Former cabinet minister Ignatius Chombo, once marked as a “targeted criminal around former President Robert Mugabe,” has had his Z$14 billion fraud charges dropped by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for lack of evidence.

Allegations were that between October 1, 2005, and January 12, 2006, the former Zvimba North MP defrauded the central bank by misrepresenting that he was applying for a capital expenditure loan under the Other Crops and Livestock Support Facility to purchase farm equipment.

Acting on the misrepresentation, RBZ processed and disbursed a loan amounting Z$14 billion to Chombo. He allegedly used the money to purchase two Toyota Hilux Vigo vehicles. It was further alleged that from September 2, 2006, to March 25, 2008, when he was local government minister, Chombo corruptly acquired a property, Subdivision 61 Helensvale from the City of Harare.

He then went on to register the stand under Harvest-Net Enterprises (Private) Limited, a company he owned.  Prosecutor Kennedy Madekutsikwa told Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje that there was no evidence linking the former minister to the alleged offences.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Chombo fell by the wayside 2017 when Zimbabwe’s military, acting in cahoots with the now Zimbabwe incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, dethroned the late former President Robert Mugabe accusing him of harbouring criminals in his government.

The said criminals included Chombo, then finance minister, who has seen his many criminal charges dropped. He is now left with only two criminal accusations after more than 10 charges against him collapsed. Critics have accused the Zanu PF led administration of presiding over the infamous “catch and release” culture that has seen current and former party allies accused of committing crimes spared from imprisonment.

In other news,

Comedian Bamnini Nijo targets SA-based content creators

Comedian Bamnini Nijo targets SA-based content creators. n an interview, Nijo said he will link up with content creators for a collaborative content creation workshop next month. Comedian Nigel Maritinyu, better known as Nijo, is committed to supporting Zimbabwean content creators based in South Africa develop their careers.

Nijo

I“I have a brilliant idea for all content creators in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. “We will have a content workshop where I will share tips on tools for…read more.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Catch More Updates Below

LOCAL NEWS

Former Zanu PF bigwig, Ignatius Chombo’s bid to block the downsizing of his farm by the government has failed at the High Court. Chombo...

LOCAL NEWS

Marondera Businessman Accuses NPA & Police of Unfair Treatment Francisco Marconati, a prominent businessman in Marondera, has accused the Central Investigation Department (CID) of...

Advertisement