Cape Town. Auditor-general Shauket Fakie came out in defence of the arms report of the joint investigating team yesterday, dismissing as "factually incorrect" claims by Gavin Woods, departing chairman of Parliament's public accounts committee, that it was fatally flawed.

Fakie also said he was "disappointed" in the manner in which Woods had resigned as chairman without first notifying committee members or even Fakie himself.

Woods cited intense political interference by the executive and senior officials of the African National Congress (ANC) in the work of the committee after it decided to launch the arms probe as the reason for the committee's politicisation and dysfunction. He was highly critical of the report of the joint investigating team saying it was "substandard", had failed to get to grips with the core issues and failed to attribute blame for irregularities in the arms acquisition process.

Woods leaves his position on Friday. ANC deputy chief whip Geoff Doidge said the position belonged to the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), to which Woods belongs, in terms of the political agreement between the ANC and the IFP.

IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said the party had not considered Woods's resignation, and that "one should not dismiss his trials and grievances".

Commenting on two highly critical reports compiled by Woods on the arms probe, Fakie said Woods had "put his own spin/perspective to many of the issues which (is) factually incorrect and does not reflect the details of what actually happened. We stand by our report."

Fakie insisted the joint investigating team had addressed all the concerns about the arms procurement process raised by the public accounts committee (Scopa). Woods claimed that the team's report had not dealt with key issues raised by the committee.

"At various formal and informal discussions with Dr Woods, I have encouraged him to come forward to share any information he has or specific expectations he or Scopa had that we could incorporate into the investigation. It is unfortunate that he now comes, three months after the report has been tabled, with these concerns," Fakie said.