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Basson hearing resumes
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Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:31
A hearing on apartheid era germ warfare expert Wouter Basson over misconduct
charges is to resume at the Health Professions Council of SA in Pretoria on Monday.
Basson is facing six charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Brought by some of his peers, the charges against Basson relate to his time
as head of the apartheid government's chemical and biological warfare project.
Should he be found guilty, Basson could lose his licence to practice
medicine. At the previous hearing in November last year, ethics expert
Solomon Benatar testified for the prosecution that Basson's actions did not fit the
duties and responsibilities of a medical professional. He contended Basson
was guilty of professional misconduct. After cross-examination by Jaap
Cilliers SC, for Basson, Benatar said he "increasingly" saw difficulty with the charges
brought against Basson. Marius Helberg SC, the pro-forma prosecutor,
afterwards said his team was embarrassed by the evidence of Benatar. "The
witness made concessions that he should not have made," Helberg said.
Cilliers said at the time it would not help the prosecution to call another
witness to contradict Benatar. "Are they expecting you to do a head count
with two saying no and one saying yes?" Cilliers said. He said if the expert
witness called by the prosecution made concessions that favoured the defence, this
should be accepted. The committee hearing the case said in November the
prosecution's reasons for seeking a postponement were questionable. It,
however, granted the request for logistical reasons.