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Trial Report: Seventeen

This report covers the period 17 March to 24 March 2000.

Due to a public holiday on 21 March and an adjournment of the trial on 22 and 23 March the court only sat for three days during the period under review.

On Friday 17 March banker, Samuel Bosch, continued to give evidence about financial transactions within the consortium of companies in which he and Basson had interests. He told the court that in 1992 and 1993 the consortium began experiencing financial difficulties which were eased in February 1993 when over R3million was made available. Two deposits of R1.1million were paid into an account by Dr. David Chu as proceeds from the sale of technology. Bosch was unable to tell the court what these transactions involved.

Bosch said in court that at no time did he see Basson as having anything to do with the South African Defence Force. As far as he was concerned, Basson was the boss of the WPW and Wisdom groups, Philip Mijburgh the second in command, and their business was to make investments and profits.

Bosch testified that during September 1993 the Wisdom group of companies was experiencing such financial difficulties that he offered to lend the group some US$150 000 that had been placed in a Swiss bank account as a pension for him. The Reserve Bank documents which report the transaction refer to the money as having been the proceeds from the sake of technology, allegedly for the formula of Etorphine. This testimony presents an explanation for this transactions which has been referred to in earlier weekly reports.

On Monday 20 March Bosch continued giving evidence, he told the court that the companies in the Wisdom/Blowing Rock groups had been restructured in 1994 and it would appear that a further restructuring took place in 1996. On both occasions Bosch flew to the United States to have David Webster sign documentation. He maintained however that he always understood Basson to be the chief decision maker in the group.

Bosch testified that the renovation of Merton House in Pretoria cost R12million and that the net loss had been R5million when the property was sold to the Zimbabwean government in 1994 for use as an embassy.

Bosch completed his evidence in chief on Friday 24 March. He told the court that he had stored trunks at his home on the request of Basson but that he had not known the contents of the trunks and had not been given the keys for the padlocks which sealed them. He also said that he had been asked by Basson's wife, Annette Versluis, to store several heavy, sealed drums at his home after Basson's arrest in Switzerland in 1993. The trunks were seized by the Office for Serious Economic Offences during their investigation in 1997. The drums had been returned to Basson prior to his arrest in 1997 in South Africa.

Cross examination of Bosch began in the afternoon of Friday 24 March. Defence counsel, Adv. Cilliers put it to the witness that he had attempted to blackmail Basson after his arrest if the US$150 000 that he had lent to the group of companies was not returned to him. Bosch denied the allegation.

The defence counsel also referred to Bosch's mental breakdown. Bosch produced a psychiatric report which had been authored in September 1992 after he had sought early retirement for health reasons. The report states that Bosch was suffering from "paranoid psychosis, coupled with an acute persecution complex", was incoherent, suffering from extreme anxiety and depression and showed a serious lack of motivation. His condition was a long-term one with an extremely poor prognosis - the chances of total recovery were "exceedingly slim" and he was no longer considered mentally fit to carry out his professional tasks. Bosch stated however that he was receiving medication for his condition which he said is currently stable.

Cross examination of Bosch will continue on Monday 27 March 2000.

This report has been prepared by Chandr� Gould and Marlene Burger. Chandr� Gould is a research associate at the Centre for Conflict Resolution working on the Chemical and Biological Warfare Research Project. Marlene Burger is monitoring the trial as part of the CCR Chemical and Biological Warfare Research Project. The Chemical and Biological Warfare Research Project is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Norwegian Government.

 
Centre for Conflict Resolution, UCT, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
Tel: (27) 21-4222512 Fax: (27) 21-4222622 Email: [email protected]

 
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