Basson: State to discuss appeal
2003-02-19 16:55
Bloemfontein - An application by the State for leave to appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein against the acquittal of apartheid chemical and biological warfare expert Wouter Basson was referred to the court for verbal argument.
A court spokesman said the court asked for verbal arguments about the application to be heard first before it took a decision on whether the National Director of Public Prosecutions may appeal against the Pretoria High Court's acquittal of Basson in April 2002.
The application to be decided over revolves in large part around high court judge Willie Hartzenberg's refusal to recuse himself from the Basson trial.
Hartzenberg eventually acquitted Basson on a string of charges.
In its bulky application for leave to appeal the State accused Hartzenberg of "bias" and "judgment in advance", saying that his judgment indicated 'a total lack of interest in the State's evidence'.
The State was earlier already granted leave to appeal certain other parts of Hartzenberg's high court ruling.
Arguments about the application for leave to appeal were to be heard together with this appeal.
A date was not yet set on the court roll.
Basson headed apartheid South Africa's 1980s germ warfare programme, dubbed Project Coast, which targeted enemies of apartheid.
- SAPA