OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Monday 1.00PM
FORMER cleric and anti-apartheid activist Dr Allan Boesak (52) appeared in the Cape High Court on Monday to face 32 fraud and theft charges totalling R1,1-million, relating to alleged misuse of overseas donor funds. Boesak pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The charges relate to funding for Boesak’s now-defunct Foundation for Peace and Justice given by Danish charity Danchurch Aid, which were allegedly channelled by Boesak for his personal use.
The prosecution is being led by Western Cape Deputy Attorney General JC Gerber, who listed the allegations against Boesak, including using funds donated by Scandanavian countries for his own private use, inflating the amount of funds used on specific projects, and incurring exhorbitantly high operating costs. Boesak is also accused of using donor funds to set up his wife, former radio and television personality Elna Boesak, in her own communications business. Gerber said the closed corporation was called Camelot Communications and Mrs Boesak was the sole shareholder.
Gerber said Boesak used his position at the time as the president of the World Council of Reformed Churces to raise funds which, he claimed, would be used for making video cassettes for use during the 1994 election. However, no cassettes were made and the funds were used for his own purposes.