the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
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In 1991, Basson began to build Merton House, a multi-million-rand<br />
building in Pretoria’s plush Arcadia suburb. Basson’s plan was allegedly to use<br />
<strong>the</strong> building as a high-class bro<strong>the</strong>l. At <strong>the</strong> time <strong>the</strong> project was under<br />
construction, Basson claimed he was merely <strong>the</strong> middleman for a group <strong>of</strong><br />
American doctors who were developing <strong>the</strong> property. This new building<br />
reportedly outraged local residents. Actual construction started in 1992, and<br />
even before <strong>the</strong> house was completed in 1993, it was up for sale for R8.5m.<br />
Waterson Properties built <strong>the</strong> mansion with directors Christopher Marlow,<br />
Tjaart Viljoen and Sam Bosch. Many important documents were allegedly<br />
seized from Bosch’s house shortly after Basson was arrested. Sam Bosch<br />
agreed to be a state witness in Basson’s 1999 criminal trial. 138<br />
In December 1991, <strong>the</strong> Project Coast Coordinating Management<br />
Committee, including Knobel and Liebenberg, sent Basson to Croatia. There<br />
he purchased 500 kgs. <strong>of</strong> methaqualone from “renegade Croatians” (including<br />
high-ranking government <strong>of</strong>ficials) and brought it back to South Africa. 139 The<br />
following year, benzilate and quinazolinone compounds, which were most<br />
difficult to develop, were acquired in Croatia. During his Croatian transactions,<br />
Basson “lost” $1.6 million. (TRC found that <strong>the</strong> Croatia deal was in itself<br />
extremely questionable, leading to a loss <strong>of</strong> millions <strong>of</strong> rand. Dr Basson<br />
intercepted Vatican bearer bonds to <strong>the</strong> value <strong>of</strong> $40 million that had been<br />
intended for <strong>the</strong> purchase <strong>of</strong> weapons by <strong>the</strong> Croatian government, leading to<br />
his arrest in Switzerland. Why <strong>the</strong> military was importing such large quantities<br />
<strong>of</strong> methaqualone at such high cost at this late stage <strong>of</strong> negotiations is not clear<br />
and was not adequately answered by Dr Knobel or Dr Basson. TRC questioned<br />
whe<strong>the</strong>r methaqualone was actually destroyed.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> early 1990s, Delta-G made a cash purchase for mercury from<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r former state-owned company, Thor Chemicals, a SADF frontcompany<br />
that was involved in <strong>the</strong> network <strong>of</strong> corporations working to provide<br />
materials for <strong>the</strong> covert CBW <strong>program</strong>. What this mercury was used for<br />
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