AUGUST 2004 : (GERMANY : GERHARD WISSER IS THE SECOND SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSMAN TO BE CAPTURED; HE HAD BEEN A MEDIATOR IN OBTAINING AN ORDER FOR A SOUTH AFRICAN COMPANY TO MAKE & SUPPLY ALUMINUM TUBING TO BE USED IN AN 'AFRICAN URANIUM ENRICHMENT PLANT' ) Gerhard Wisser (65), the second South African businessman arrested [in connection with the Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan's suspected nuclear black market;][the first was Asher Karni, 3rd was Gottard Lerch, and 4th was Johan Meyer]. He was captured in Germany two weeks ago. He is alleged to have worked as a mediator to obtain an order for a SA company to make and supply aluminum tubing to be used in an African uranium enrichment plant;--- "SA link to nuke black market," By Graeme Hosken, PRETORIA NEWS, September 7, 2004, http://:www.pretorianews.co.za
SEPTEMBER 2, 2004 Thursday : (WMD : SOUTH AFRICA : TRADE FIN ENGINEERING : JOHAN MEYER IS ARRESTED, EQUIPMENT INCLUDING CENTRIFUGES IS SEIZED-— See A Q KHAN NETWORK, NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION) The role of several South African citizens and their businesses in a nuclear black market is being investigated by an international nuclear watchdog. The high-level investigation by the ...(IAEA), as well as the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), comes as scientists and engineers from Pelindaba examine more than 11 truck loads of equipment, allegedly used in the production of nuclear materials.
The items seized from Pretoria engineer Johan Meyer (53) include centrifuges which are used for the enrichment of uranium. Enriched uranium can be used in the manufacturing of nuclear weapons.
The equipment, which was allegedly to be sold to Pakistan, was taken to Pelindaba at the weekend to be tested to see if uranium had passed through the centrifuges.
Meyer, who is to appear in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, was arrested last Thursday [Sept 2, 04] at his factory Trade Fin Engineering. He is alleged to have contravened the South African Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Treaty and the South African Nuclear Energy Act.
The IAEA believes that Meyer is part of an international nuclear smuggling syndicate.
The IAEA, NIA, SAPS, and NPA have been investigating Trade Fin Engineering for more than a year.
The Pretoria News has learnt that apart from [Johan] Meyer’s company being under investigation, several other Gauteng businessmen and Centurion-based companies - which the investigators have not identified - are being probed for their alleged role in the nuclear black market network. -——— “SA link to nuke black market,” By Graeme Hosken, PRETORIA NEWS, Tues September 7, 2004,
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:5PvUBJJjGjgJ:www.pretorianews.co.za/index.php%3FfSectionId%3D270%26fArticleId%3D2215099+%22gerhard+wisser%22+&hl=en
The fact that the aluminum tubes found in Iraq were exactly the same and from the same source as the ones utilized in Libya's nuclear weapons program didn't matter at all to them, but sadly, was not emphasized by Bush administration or more forcefully pressed by Iraqi Survey Group - the goal posts were quickly shifted to “stockpiles”.