Former University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor Levi Nyagura has been accused of using delaying tactics in his pending court case.

The accusations were made by Chief Magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi.

Nyagura, who is facing charges of criminal abuse of office, is said to have illegally awarded former First Lady Mrs Grace Mugabe a doctorate in 2014.

The case has been pending since 2018 and Nyagura has changed lawyers in between and unsuccessfully made cocktail of applications prompting a delay in trial commencement.

The matter has been postponed on several occasions at the instigation of the defence, which cited various reasons each time the matter was brought to court for trial.

The matter was set for trial but Nyagura indicated that he had sought the services of a new lawyer-Advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara who was represented by Advocate Tafadzwa Mapuranga who indicated that the former was engaged at the High Court.

He sought for a postponement of the matter on the basis that Adv Zhuwarara who was instructed by Nyagura last Friday needed time to go through the record for him to prepare for trial.

It is alleged that sometime in 2011, Prof Nyagura single-handedly approved Mrs Mugabe’s application to study a PhD in Sociology without the knowledge of the faculty and department concerned.

Prof Nyagura then allegedly appointed Prof Claude Mararike to supervise Mrs Mugabe’s thesis without the board’s approval.