Top defence official Shamin "Chippy" Shaik secretly handed classified government documents on the multibillion-rand arms deal to Gavin Woods, chairman of Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts. This prompted an investigation that led to Shaik's suspension this week and the arrest of his brother Shabir.

Shaik's repeated leaking of documents was the reason he was suspended by Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota.

The documents given to Woods formed the basis of Scopa's report to Parliament, which recommended a multi-agency investigation into allegations of corruption in the arms deal.

Shabir Shaik was arrested last week after he was found in possession of classified documents, including the minutes of a Cabinet committee meeting which decided on the final arms order. Chippy Shaik was the secretary at that meeting.

Woods said this week that Shaik gave him information on the prime contracts, the agreements on the industrial participation programmes as well as a "a smattering of other documents" just days after he and SA National Defence Force chiefs appeared before Scopa.

Defence spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi said that Shaik was not authorised to give Woods the papers. As a result he appeared before a disciplinary hearing and was given a warning.

The department was investigating allegations that Shaik had leaked documents as recently as last month, Mkhwanazi said.

When asked if Shaik had supplied the documents in order to exonerate himself in the Scopa investigation, Woods replied: "At that particular time, he must have felt some anxiety. He was very personable and very friendly.

"He sent me some cartoons and even gave me a handful of sweets with the documents."

He said only he and former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein had perused the documents.

"Chippy then wrote to me wanting them back. He implied the minister wanted them back," said Woods. He denied the request.

"The Speaker, Frene Ginwala, got to know and took them into her custody, " he said.

Ginwala said Woods "brought out the fact that he had the documents" after Shaik asked for them back.

"He [Shaik] was not supposed to have given them to [Woods]. He [Woods] had them at home. I was quite shocked. He said he was worried people may come with a subpoena and take them. They were given to members of Scopa and not to individuals, that was my concern," said Ginwala.

She set up a security facility where the documents were locked and access strictly controlled.

The investigating agencies have slammed Woods for "concealing" information that could have helped them. Sipho Ngwema, spokesman for the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, said Woods turned down their request for the documents, claiming they were covered by "parliamentary privilege".

"He is one of the people condemning the report . . . but he had refused to cooperate with the agencies," Ngwema said.

Ginwala said she provided the Auditor-General, Shauket Fakie, with a list of the documents and was told the investigators already had access to them.

"But I could not have given them to the [investigators] as we were complying with the confidential conditions under which they were handed to Parliament," said Ginwala.

However, Ngwema said if the investigators had been aware of where the documents were, they would have summonsed the Speaker.

With acknowledgement to Ranjeni Manusamy and the Sunday Times.