Cape Town - The "vicious attack" by Auditor-General Shauket Fakie on critics of his report on the arms deal including two MPs was rejected yesterday by the Democratic Alliance (DA).

DA chief whip Douglas Gibson tabled a motion in Parliament rejecting Fakie's attacks on the party's arms deal spokeswoman Raenette Taljaard. He called for the appointment of a special ad hoc committee to investigate allegations about the arms deal and the alleged impropriety by Fakie in the way he dealt with the arms deal report.

The motion was the latest round in the political battle over the allegations which is likely to intensify when Parliament reconvenes in August after the recess. The public accounts committee will have to deal with Fakie's special report tabled in Parliament this week in which he addressed the allegations of impropriety and rejects them as unfounded.

It has been alleged that Fakie edited the draft arms deal report after meeting cabinet members in order to excise suggestions of irregularities.

Fakie also criticised Inkatha Freedom Party MP and former public accounts chairman Gavin Woods for statements he made in Parliament, which Fakie said undermined his integrity.

He claimed that both Woods and Taljaard could have violated Parliament's Rule 66 which requires that statements reflecting on the competence or integrity of constitutionally created institutions can only be made by way of a substantive motion.

Gibson called on Parliament to reject Fakie's criticism of Taljaard. He said the African National Congress had "trivialised" Rule 66 in not allowing parliamentary debates on the allegations about the arms deal after both he and Taljaard had tabled substantive notices.

With acknowledgements to Linda Ensor and the Business Day.