FORMER Cabinet minister Ignatius Chombo who is facing several criminal abuse of office charges, was Friday granted access to his passport, which he was seeking to travel to South Africa for cancer treatment.

On Friday, High Court judge, Justice Moses Foroma ordered the immediate release of the passport before he instructed Chombo to return it to the Clerk of Court on March 16 2020.

“The application for revival of a temporary variation of applicant’s (Chombo) bail conditions granted in judgment No.753/19 succeeds with no order as to costs,” Foroma said.

“Accordingly, the applicant’s passport is temporarily released to him for the period March 3, 2020 to March 16, 2020. The Clerk of Court, Harare Magistrates Court is ordered to immediately release the applicant’s passport as aforesaid to be returned on March 16, 2020.

“In lieu of the release of the passport, the applicant shall surrender to the Clerk of Court, Title Deed No.6205/88 to Stand 461 Malborough Township Extension 3 Malborough in the name of Nimrod Willard Chiminya, and the title deed to be given back to the applicant upon return of the passport.” 

He had surrendered the passport to the Clerk of Court as part of his bail conditions when he was arrested in 2018.
Chombo told the court last year that he was battling from cancer and needed access to his passport to travel to South Africa for treatment.