The Pretoria High Court has granted an application by Apartheid-era chemical weapons expert Dr Wouter Basson that may allow him to sack the chair of his ongoing Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) inquiry, reports Health-e. The Pretoria High Court has upheld Basson's right to file an application to prohibit HPSCA Professional Conduct Committee chair Prof Jannie Hugo from presiding over Basson’s ongoing sentencing. This follows concerns by Basson’s legal team that Hugo's South African Medical Association (SAMA) membership may be a conflict of interest.
According to Basson's attorney Wynanda Coetzee, Basson now has 10 days in which to bring an application for Hugo's removal to the High Court. She added that the High Court had also instructed the HPCSA to cover the costs, including Basson’s attorney fees, involved in lodging the High Court application.
SAMA was one of more than 30 civil society organisations and 200 health care workers that signed petitions calling for Basson to lose his medical licence. Section27 executive director Mark Heywood presented these petitions during Basson's November 2014 HPCSA hearing.
The HPCSA found Basson guilty of unprofessional conduct owing to his involvement in the apartheid chemical weapons programme "Project Coast" in December 2014. Last week, Basson's legal team walked out of sentencing proceedings less than hour after they had begun at the HPCSA's Pretoria headquarters after alleging Hugo had a conflict of interest. Basson's legal team also demanded that both Hugo and fellow committee member Eddie Mhlanga review the petitions and disclose whether they were members of any other signing organisations.
Basson's HPCSA sentencing is expected to resume 12 March.
[link url="http://www.health-e.org.za/2015/01/23/chair-basson-hpcsa-inquiry-may-forced-step/"]Full Health-e report[/link]