JOHANNESBURG, Aug 25: Two men accused in South Africa of involvement in a global nuclear weapons black market face fresh charges after new evidence against them was uncovered linking them to Dr Qadeer Khan of Pakistan, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Gerhard Wisser, a German living in South Africa, and his Swiss colleague Daniel Geiges were arrested in September last year after prosecutors said they had evidence linking them to the Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan network.

Dr Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atom bomb, has admitted to supplying nuclear secrets to countries under embargo, including North Korea, Iran and Libya, which in 2003 vowed to abandon its nuclear programme.

Prosecutor Shaun Abrahams said the men had appeared in the Pretoria High Court on Monday and both parties agreed to a postponement.

“We agreed that some additional evidence has come to light and to adjourn the matter to an early date in October,” Abrahams told Reuters.

“I told the court we had new evidence which we would use to add charges to the indictment,” Abrahams said. He declined to detail the new charges.

Abrahams said a trial date would be set at the next court appearance, and the defence had indicated they would not be available before February.

Prosecutors say the men did not have the necessary permit when they imported and then exported a device that could be used to produce a nuclear weapon. Both men have denied the charges.

South Africa was among 20 countries named last year by the UN’s atomic agency as recipients of Mr Khan’s nuclear secrets.—Reuters