Zimbabwe’s Former Finance Minister Faces New Corruption Charges

Former Zimbabwe Finance Minister, Ignatius Chombo, faced new corruption charges recently in the clearest example yet of a crackdown on graft by President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, since he took office last month.

Mnangagwa has said one of his priorities is to fight corruption as he seeks to shore up an economy battered under former leader Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule.

The graft watchdog accused Chombo of criminal abuse of office and said he illegally resettled people affected by a government clean-up operation on privately-owned land in Harare and then demanded a bribe from the owner to remove the people, his lawyer Lovemore Madhuku, said.

Chombo is facing separate charges of corruption including defrauding the central bank dating back two decades.

Madhuku said Chombo had been questioned by officials from the independent Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) and released after making a statement.