Cross-examination of Richard Young, a private defence contractor, in the public hearing into South Africa's arms deal will continue in Pretoria today. Young is the managing director of Communications Computer Intelligence Integration Systems (CCII), a Cape Town based defence information technology company. 

He contends there were irregularities in the awarding of a R40 million tender for information management systems (IMS) used in the four corvette ships South Africa bought under the arms package. CCII was named the preferred supplier of these systems, Young claims. The tender was, however, awarded to French company Detexis. 

Detexis is the sister company of African Defence Systems (ADS), of which arms acquisition head Chippy Shaik's brother, Schabir, is a shareholder and director. 

Yesterday it emerged that Young's personal beliefs partly sparked the allegations of wrongdoing in the procurement of the strategic arms package. Young was being questioned about his view that the product of a competitor who beat him to a tender was inferior. 

"So, it is your beliefs that have sparked all these allegations? "asked Michael Kuper, for the Department of Defence. Young responded: "To a certain extent, yes." 

Kuper earlier remarked: "That highly self-interested perspective of yours explains much of the problem."

He also suggested that Young had deliberately sought to discredit the country's arms procurement process through the media after he lost the contract. 

With acknowledgment to Sapa and SABC News.