ARMS acquisition head Chippy Shaik recused himself from corvette programme meetings where his conflict of interest had been relevant, the public inquiry into SA's armaments deal heard yesterday.

Retired navy chief R-Adm Robert Simpson-Anderson testified before the hearing that although Shaik had sat in on some of the meetings, he did not participate in them.

Both Simpson-Anderson and R-Adm Johnny Kamerman gave evidence before the hearing yesterday.

On Wednesday public protector Selby Baqwa ruled that both men could give evidence to rebut the testimony of Robert Young, MD of Communications Computer Intelligence Integration.

Baqwa made the ruling after Young implicated both men in his testimony. Baqwa found that Simpson-Anderson's integrity had been challenged.

Earlier this week Young rejected parts of Simpson-Anderson's evidence, which had been placed before the inquiry earlier in the year.

Young has also accused Kamerman of misrepresenting the facts on price audits of the corvettes when he appeared before Parliament's public audit committee.

Young's evidence was considered important as he was the only witness who claimed to have evidence of irregularities in the arms deal. He contended that there were irregularities in the awarding of a R40m tender for the information management system used in the four corvette ships SA had bought.

Young's counsel, Owen Rodgers, was overruled by Baqwa on several occasions yesterday when he tried to cross examine Simpson-Anderson on what he claimed were "pertinent issues in the interest of his client". Baqwa said the proceedings "would be lengthened unnecessarily if he permitted this line of questioning".

Young developed information management system technology while working for UEC Projects under an Armscor contract in the 1990s.

Yesterday Young denied media reports that he had tried to sell off any intellectual property as his own.  

With acknowledgment to Sanchia Temkin and Business Day.