The Auditor-General Shauket Fakie must release all to the public all drafts of the arms deal report, or resign, the Democratic Alliance says.

DA MP Raenette Taljaard said in a statement on Monday that revelations of changes to the final arms deal report had clearly caused considerable damage to South Africa's democratic institutions.

"A lot needs to be done to rescue the good name of these institutions, not least of which is the Auditor-General who should release all drafts of the arms deal report.

"If this does not happen, he should resign,"

Fakie should come clean on the pressure applied to him by the executive to amend the final report, she said.

Last week, the Business Day newspaper reported that the government's final report on the multi-billion rand deal was heavily edited, and left out findings on gifts received by key players in the controversial deal.

The final report, handed over to Parliament in November 2001, also apparently omitted "inaccuracies" in a defence department presentation to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa).

On Monday, the newspaper claimed then Public Protector Selby Baqwa's audit ignored expert evidence, and that Navy officers had received gifts before final contracts were signed.

Taljaard also said -- Scopa should re-open its investigation into the deal; -- the former Defence chief of acquisitions Chippy Shaik should be called before Parliament for misleading Scopa, and -- Rear Admiral Johnny Kamerman should be suspended, pending an investigation.

Kamerman, the project officer of the Navy programme to buy corvettes, reportedly received a gift of R7 000 (in cash as requested by him) from a winning contractor.

"The government must know that the price to be paid for any cover-up is a steady stream of damaging stories and harmful revelations that will rock the foundations of even the strongest majority," Taljaard said.

Fakie said he would not respond to such statements through the media, adding there was a process that should be followed for any party to gain access to the draft reports.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.