Cape Town - Gavin Woods, the chair of Parliament's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), is seeking to revive Parliament's oversight of the arms deal and wants the Ministry of Defence to provide crucial documentation.

In a letter to committee members seeking approval for his proposal, Woods (IFP) said Scopa was obliged in terms of its 14th report of last year approved by the National Assembly to continue its own investigation into the arms deal.

This obligation existed notwithstanding the multi-agency investigation undertaken by the National Director of Public Prosecutions, the Auditor-General and the Public Protector, he said.

"It is therefore proposed, that in addition to any specific areas of investigation the committee engages in, that the committee broaden its base understanding of the arms transactions ... " This would involve studying the evaluation reports covering the technical, financial and industrial participation aspects of the main offers, as forwarded to the strategic offers committee, Woods said in his letter dated June 6.

"It is possible that such an exercise could suggest further relevant areas of investigation for the committee." Woods said to pursue this line of work it would be necessary for the committee to call for the evaluation reports in question from the Ministry of Defence.

"The committee is therefore requested to mandate its chairperson to arrange for the documents to be made to be placed in the custody of the Speaker of the National Assembly - for access by the members of Scopa who wish to undertake the initial exercise," the letter says.

The committee - specifically its ANC majority - is expected to respond to Woods' formal request at this week's meeting.

Meanwhile, the multi-agency task team's controversial public hearings on the deal is scheduled to resume on Monday in Pretoria, after proceedings were postponed two weeks ago without any evidence being heard.

Woods has previously accused National Assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala of helping to sideline his committee from the probe because of her interventions in Parliament.

With acknowledgment to Sapa and News24.