HARARE – Former finance minister Ignatius Chombo, whose passport was seized at the Robert Mugabe International Airport by a state agent in May this year, will now miss his medical check-up deadlines after his urgent application seeking an order to secure his passport was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Chombo’s appeal, which sought to compel the Harare Magistrates Court’s clerk to release the passport, was deliberated upon by Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza who was sitting with Judges of Appeal, Justice Antoinette Guvava and Justice Chinembiri Bhunu.
The Deputy Chief Justice had in the morning reserved judgment, promising to expeditiously deal with the matter. The ruling, availed in the afternoon, was against the former Cabinet minister with reasons to follow.
Chombo, who is being charged with criminal abuse of office was granted his passport on May 10, 2019 by a Harare magistrate and was ordered to return in on June 21, 2019.
However, Chombo’s passport was unlawfully seized by a state security agent at Robert Mugabe International Airport, who took it back to the Harare Magistrates Court on the same day, May 12. Chombo’s efforts to recover the passport from the clerk of court were unsuccessful.
He then approached the High Court but the latter dismissed his application on the basis that he had not exhausted available remedies at the Magistrates’ Court including seeking contempt of court charges against the clerk of court. Chombo then appealed to Supreme Court for recourse.
