OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Monday 4.50pm.
LAWYERS on Monday launched what is expected to be a lengthy defence in the Cape Town High Court of disgraced anti-apartheid cleric Allan Boesak, who is facing 27 charges of fraud and theft.
When the trial, which began in August, adjourned for the summer break on December 18, Judge John Foxcroft agreed that five of the 32 charges Boesak was facing should be dropped for lack of evidence, but said the other charges still stood.
The cleric, a leading light in the anti-apartheid struggle, is alleged to have stolen R1,1-million of money donated by foreign donor agencies to his charity Foundation for Peace and Justice (FPJ) in the early 1990s.
When the trial resumed on Monday, his lawyer, Mike Maritz, told the court he did not intend “at this stage” calling Boesak to testify.
Instead he called auditor Robert Cameron-Ellis, who began reading from a lengthy report he has compiled into the accounting procedures and bank statements of the FPJ.
Boesak’s defence team have indicated they have a long list of witnesses to call in their effort to clear his name. They estimate the trial could continue for another two months.
Boesak is a personal friend of President Nelson Mandela, who last year launched a private bid to help finance the cleric’s defence when he ran out of funds mid-way through the trial. — AFP