Nuclear Weapons Charges Against South African Man Dropped

[seemslikeadream]

By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, September 8, 2004; 2:54 PM

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 8 -- South African authorities on Wednesday abruptly dropped criminal charges against a Pretoria man charged last week with possessing components for the construction of nuclear weapons.

Today's move was part of a deal in which the man, Johan Andries Muller Meyer, 53, will cooperate with prosecutors to pursue other targets of the investigation, said a source familiar with the probe who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Eleven shipping containers of components for a gas centrifuge, used in the enrichment of uranium, were confiscated, as was related documentation and a machine that can be used to make other weapons components, officials here say.

The arrest was part of a wide-ranging international investigation into the nuclear black market that was established by Pakistan's top nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, and that helped Libya and other countries develop nuclear weapons programs.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5652-2004Sep8.html

[seemslikeadream]

1. South African court postpones nuclear smuggling ring case

South African businessman Johan Meyer leaves Vanderbijlpark court

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 08 September 2004 2038 hrs

VANDERBIJLPARK, South Africa : A South African businessman with alleged links to a global nuclear smuggling ring was remanded in custody for further investigation after unexpectedly withdrawing his bail application.

Johan Meyer, 53, was arrested on Thursday last week and was charged a day later with three counts of possessing sensitive nuclear-related equipment and of illegally importing and exporting nuclear material.

"At this stage, the case will be postponed for further investigation," state prosecutor Chris MacAdam told the court.

"I have been informed (by Meyer's lawyers) that at this stage the bail application has been provisionally withdrawn."

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http://iafrica.com/news/sa/346152.htm


Charges dropped in WMD case

Posted Wed, 08 Sep 2004

In his first appearance the court was told that his bail application was withdrawn and he was later whisked away, supposedly to prison until his next appearance on October 11.

Meyer was arrested last week and 11 shipping containers containing components of a centrifuge uranium plant and related documentation were seized from his factory premises in the town's industrial zone.

He faced three charges under South Africa's Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Act and the Nuclear Energy Act as part of an international investigation which includes the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

A statement on Tuesday from South Africa's Council for the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons said the investigation was "in the context" of the AQ Khan "network"

Abdul Khan was a leading figure in Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, and was involved in the final test detonation of Pakistan's first nuclear bomb.

Council chairperson Abdul Minty said the items confiscated did not "constitute a weapon of mass destruction, but they are essential components in the process to enrich uranium".
http://iafrica.com/news/sa/346152.htm


S. Africa seizes uranium enrichment materials
Tuesday, September 7, 2004 Posted: 2045 GMT (0445 HKT)


JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- South Africa seized 11 shipping containers of uranium enrichment materials in a raid on a firm run by a man it has charged under laws forbidding nuclear proliferation, a government agency said on Tuesday.

The South African Council for the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction said the containers were now stored at a safe location and had been sealed by both South African police and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the two agencies would maintain control.

"IAEA inspectors will visit South Africa on a regular basis to inspect nuclear material and related equipment," the council said in a statement.

It was the first detailed description of the raid last week by police and other investigators on a small engineering firm that led to charges against 53-year-old Johan Andries Muller Meyer for manufacturing nuclear-related material and exporting goods that could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
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http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/09/07/security.safrica.reut/