Former Home Affairs Minister, Ignatius Chombo whose passport was being held by the state following a raft of allegations levelled against him since November last year some of which include corruption, abuse of office and being a criminal nuisance on Tuesday breathed a sigh of relief after he was given back his passport to enable him to travel to South Africa for medical attention.

Chombo will have the passport until June 13 2018 as he seeks treatment for an undisclosed ailment in neighbouring South Africa.

Through his lawyer, Lovemore Madhuku, the former minister had applied for the release of the passport indicating that he wanted to travel abroad when he appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Victoria Mashamba for routine remand. He was remanded to June 13.

Chombo’s co-accused – Rejoice Pazvakavambwa, the deputy director of valuations and estate management in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, and Lazarus Chimba, the registrar of valuers – were remanded to May 16. However, they applied for refusal of further remand.

Chombo is facing a raft of charges ranging from corruption to abuse of office, fraud and criminal nuisance.

He is also accused of allocating residential stands to illegal settlers at Whitecliff Farm in Harare before demanding and receiving a bribe of a 3 712-square metre stand from the landowner to help remove them.

The land owner, Eddies Pfugari Property Developers (Pvt) Ltd, lost property worth $200 million in the process.

Pazvakavambwa and Chimba are accused of facilitating the illegal transfer of council property worth $900 000 into Chombo’s name.- state media