BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE THE trial date for former Cabinet minister Ignatius Chombo, who is facing a criminal abuse of office charge, was yesterday deferred to April 7 as he had another matter at the Constitutional Court.
Chombo was represented by Tungamirai Muganhiri when he appeared before Harare magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro.
Allegations are that between October 1, 2005 and January 12, 2006, Chombo misrepresented to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe that he wanted to buy farm mechanisation equipment and he was granted a loan but used the money to buy two Toyota Hilux Vigo vehicles.
Other allegations were that between September 2, 2006 and March 25, 2008, while he was Local Government minister, Chombo unlawfully, corruptly acquired a City of Harare property, namely subdivision 61 Helensvale, Harare, with full knowledge that the local authority had applied for change of use from a public place to space for cluster houses and registered it under Harvest-Net Enterprises (Pvt) Limited, a company which he owned.
Chombo allegedly showed favour to Harvest-Net Enterprises and disfavour to City of Harare.
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