The credibility of the report on the investigation into the more than R50 billion arms contract can be implicated in the eyes of the public before it is presented in Parliament.

This was the warning issued by Dr Gavin Woods, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA).

Woods has been unhappy since it became known that president Thabo Mbeki and certain other members of Cabinet had already had access to the preliminary forensic investigation report.

Woods emphasised that he was not pointing fingers at anyone nor blaming people falsely, but the fact was that SCOPA was in the dark.

He wasn’t sure when the report would be presented to Parliament or whether it would be referred to SCOPA or not. Mr Shauket Fakie, the Auditor-General, told the committee that the report would be completed before Parliament recesses for the year.

"It seems that the report, taken to Mbeki and members of the Cabinet, wasn’t complete."

"This raises suspicion. The credibility of the report can be questioned."

"It is a pity that the Auditor-General didn’t inform SCOPA about it."

Mr Vincent Smith, ANC MP and their SCOPA spokesman, said that it was common practice in the public and private sectors for the auditors to inform the people being audited that an audit was being done.

He knew that Mbeki and other involved ministers had access to certain parts of the report and saw nothing strange about that.

Smith said that it is the speaker, Dr Frene Ginwala’s, prerogative to decide what would happen to the report once it’s been presented to Parliament.

He is in favour of SCOPA discussing it.

Fakie said that he gave part of the report to Mbeki and certain ministers.

"There is nothing strange about it. It is normal procedure. I did it to ensure that the facts were correct."

He is very unhappy that there is a "measure of political agenda" in some people who go ahead without controlling the facts.

Fakie said the intention remained to present the report to Parliament by the end of the month.

Jacob Rooi meanwhile reported that Ms Raenette Taljaard, the DA’s SCOPA spokesperson, has in the interim sent a letter to Fakie on Friday afternoon in which she requested that he present all of the facts.

She wants to know when Mbeki and the other four ministers, who testified in the arms deal inquiry hearing held earlier this year, had access to the report.

She also wants to know if any amendments were made and whether meetings were held by him and the executive.