Parliament's ethics committee will abandon its inquiry into former African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni's contravention of parliament's code of conduct because he has resigned as an MP, says committee chairperson Luwellyn Landers.

Landers said on Monday that Yengeni's resignation meant that any hearing would have to proceed without him and a finding would have to be made in his absence. The matter was therefore deemed closed.

Yengeni resigned his seat in parliament last Wednesday amid mounting pressure after acknowledging that he had misled parliament with the intention of defrauding it.

His acknowledgement followed his court case in the specialised commercial crimes court, where he was found guilty of fraud relating to a 47 percent discount he received in 1998 on a luxury 4x4 vehicle from the then head of a company involved in an arms deal with the government. He is to be sentenced later this month.

Parliament's code states that members must disclose all gifts, hospitality, sponsorships and benefits valued at more than R350, as well as shares and financial interests in corporate entities, in a register of members' interests, which is updated annually.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and The Mercury.