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South African withdraws from Bombay appointment

A disbarred lawyer whose appointment as consul general based in Bombay drew fire from opposition parties in South Africa withdrew today from the post.

Ramesh Vassen issued a statement saying he would turn down the appointment because of "public concerns and after suffering terrible trauma and heavy financial losses'' from the controversy.

Last week, President Nelson Mandela's office denied a report in The Sunday Times that the president had ordered an investigation into the appointment.

Vassen said today that he had not been convicted of a crime, but conceded he had "made a mistake by borrowing money from a trust fund.'' He had repaid all the money, and regretted "the one major lapse" in his life, according to the statement.

Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo on Tuesday stood behind Vassen's appointment, saying the lawyer had been punished and deserved another chance.

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