A South African court yesterday postponed the trial of a U.S. woman charged with smuggling equipment to Pakistan that could support nuclear-weapon activities in the South Asian nation, the Cape Times reported (see GSN, April 14).
Judge Vusi Mhlanga of the Cape Town Magistrate's Court said continued investigation and additional evidence from the United States are necessary for the trial of Marisa Ann Sketo-Kirsh. The suspect was detained in November and accused of assisting nuclear smuggler Asher Karni, who was sentenced in 2005 to three years in prison in the United States (see GSN, Aug. 5, 2005).
The judge set Sketo-Kirsh's next court appearance for Dec. 3. The defendant said she has appealed to South African prosecutors to drop the case.
Sketo-Kirsh is formally charged with illegally transferring "controlled goods classified as components of nuclear devices" in and out of the country without obtaining the required permit from South Africa's WMD Nonproliferation Council (Caryn Dolley, Cape Times, Aug. 7).