Basson accused of lying to hearing

The former head of the apartheid government's chemical and biological warfare programme, Dr Wouter Basson, has been branded a liar and accused of deliberately withholding information from the Health Professions Council's professional conduct committee.

Salie Joubert SC, for the prosecution, labelled Basson's answers during his cross-examination as "ridiculous".

He accused Basson's legal team, led by Jaap Cilliers SC, of having failed to prepare for the unethical conduct trial and of "now relying on amnesia".

Basson had told the hearing that former president Nelson Mandela had reappointed him in 1995, after he was put on early pension by former president FW de Klerk in 1993, because the British and Americans saw him as a threat and had wanted him to work for them as a chemical and biological warfare consultant so that they could control him.

"The government did not like the idea of a South African citizen working for foreign governments. Technically, it is impossible for someone retired [from the military] to be reappointed in a civilian capacity, so regulations were changed for my reappointment as head cardiologist in the military hospital so that I could be controlled," he said.

But Joubert blasted Basson's answer and accused him of telling half-truths, putting it to him that Mandela had re-appointed him because the British and Americans had approached Mandela with concerns that Basson was giving information to Libya.

He also put it to Basson that after he was put on early retirement he had travelled to Libya four times.

"The Americans and the British approached Mr Mandela with concerns that you were leaking information to Libya and Mr Mandela was approached to restrict your movements," Joubert said.

"Mandela responded that he had been put under restrictions for most of his life and would not impose restrictions on anyone."

Basson objected to this and said he stood by his answer, adding that he did travel to Libya but "this was on official business" when he was still head of the apartheid regime's chemical warfare programme.

Joubert said that then Surgeon- General Lieutenant-General Daniel Knobel had told Mandela at a 1994 meeting that the only practical way of restricting Basson was to reappoint him and put him under the control of the surgeon-general, and that this was how he was reappointed.

Basson said that after he was put on pension he was recalled to destroy chemical substances he had researched and manufactured.

The prosecution is expected to wrap up its cross-examination of Basson today.