Department of defence officials will on Wednesday hand over new evidence on SA's controversial R30bn arms deal to Parliament's watchdog public accounts committee. Committee chairman Gavin Woods said the officials were expected to deliver the evidence — new documents not previously seen by the committee — late on Wednesday afternoon.

A sub-committee would examine them before drafting an official report on the deal next week. The deal, signed in late 1999, has been the subject of repeated corruption claims. Last week, officials associated with the arms deal were grilled for seven hours in a parliamentary hearing into details of the package. This followed auditor-general Shauket Fakie's special report to Parliament, released last month, which found that generally accepted procurement practices were not followed.

Fakie recommended a special forensic audit into the deal's subcontracts, some of which have been the subject of corruption claims. The Heath Commission, Investigating Directorate of Serious Economic Offences, and Public Protector Selby Baqwa have all launched investigations into the deal.

Woods said the committee was expected to pass a report on its findings at an open meeting on October 30. "We are reluctant to say much before that meeting." He said, however, that he suspected the committee would recommend a forensic investigation into the deal, as many questions were likely to remain unanswered. — INet Bridge

With acknowledgement to INet Bridge and the Business Day.