Cape Town - The decisions of the arms acquisition process stand, and there will be no further review, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said on Thursday.

Briefing the media on the report of the joint investigation team's probe into the deal, he said none of the primary contracts were affected in any way by the report and there was therefore no need to review them.

His views were echoed by Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin, who said the contracts "remain intact, they are not flawed, we continue with the deal".

Lekota said government was concerned, however, about the report's finding that "there may have been individuals and institutions who used, or attempted to use, their positions improperly ... to obtain undue benefits in relation to these packages".

"To the extent that there were such individuals and actions, applying, as the report says, in particular to the secondary contracting process, these were acts as much of self-enrichment as they were against the ethos of our government.

"We have noted that the directorate of special operations (Scorpions) is investigating these matters; and we express our full support for this.

"It is in the interest of the government and the country as a whole that the law must take its course and be seen to do so," Lekota said.

Government had also noted the matter of conflict of interest as it applied to individuals mentioned in the report, and the allegations of gifts received by some officials, as well as the findings and recommendations on this matter.

"Government will co-operate with any further investigations in this regard," he said.

The finding that there was no evidence of improper or unlawful conduct by the government and no grounds to suggest its contracting position was flawed, should lay to rest all kinds of allegations that were made against it.

"(But) in the light of the damage to our country, caused by unfounded allegations of massive corruption on the part of the government and reputable international companies, government will institute its own investigations to ascertain the source of these allegations and the purpose they sought to achieve."

Lekota said now that the facts were there, government hoped that all South Africans, especially those who called themselves political leaders, as well as the media, would handle the report's findings and recommendations in the same spirit.

Regarding speculation about the costs of the arms deal, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said the "contract price is R30.3 billion. Not R66 billion ... or R300 billion" as claimed by some.

It was necessary to be consistent in this regard, he said.

With acknowledgement to the Daily News and Independent Online.