THE trial of apartheid government chemical warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson resumed in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday. At the start of Wednesday’s proceedings, trial Judge Willie Hartzenberg ruled that news cameras would be banned from the court from Thursday. The presence of cameras had proven to be disruptive, he said. The proceedings started with arguments over whether the records of Basson’s 1997 bail hearing should be admitted as evidence against him. Anton Ackerman, for the state, asked for a postponement of a ruling on the matter saying an immediate decision would be detrimental to the state’s case. The bail document could form part of the state’s evidence against Basson but only if the accused diverted from statements made in his bail application, Ackerman said. The state intends using the bail record to check the consistency of Basson’s forthcoming testimony in the trial. Basson faces 67 charges ranging from murder to dealing in drugs and fraud.