Deputy President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday night his legal team was drafting a response to a list of questions the Scorpions put to him earlier this month regarding the arms deal.

"I wish to reiterate that there was no deadline set for my response," Zuma said in a statement.

"I shall respond at my earliest convenience."

The Scorpions have given Zuma until Thursday to provide them with answers to the questions, which were sent to his lawyers in Durban on July 9.

The special investigating unit is investigating the deputy president about his alleged involvement in the multibillion rand arms procurement deal.

Scorpions spokesman Sipho Ngwema said earlier on Wednesday that most of the questions to Zuma related to his relationship with his financial adviser Schabir Shaik -- himself under investigation regarding the arms deal -- and Shaik's company, Nkobi Holdings.

The main allegation against Zuma is that he tried to solicit R500 000 from a company which benefited from the arms deal.

In return, he allegedly offered to protect the firm during subsequent investigations.

The Sunday Times incurred the wrath of the deputy president at the weekend for publishing the questions the Scorpions has asked Zuma.

This was "totally unacceptable and despicable", Zuma said at the weekend.

"Despite my silence... there have been constant leaks of information to the media, which was clearly designed to cast aspersions on my integrity."

On Wednesday, he said he decided to respond to the questions despite his reservations.

"The interests of justice demand that the investigation be brought to a speedy close," Zuma said.

"I had already begun working on a draft response prepared by my counsel when, as I have said before, to my amazement and outrage, I found that the Sunday press of 27 July carried front page stories with graphic detail of all the questions.

"This is not the first time that there have been leaks to the media of information gathered by the Scorpions for the arms deal investigation," he said.

"Indeed, throughout, there has been a consistent pattern of such leaks. Given the history of the matter and the serious nature of the leaks, I would have expected that the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) and the Ministry of Justice... would have refrained from attributing blame for the leaks on the strength of a hasty, cursory investigation."

National Public Prosecutions director Bulelani Ngcuka and Justice Minister Penuell Maduna have denied the questions were leaked by the unit. The Scorpions operates under Ngcuka.

Zuma said the list of questions were submitted to him after his legal team put much pressure on the NPA which, on May 30, admitted that it was investigating the deputy president.

Zuma said he rejected the allegation that he solicited a bribe of R500 000 a year to protect the French company from being probed as part of an ongoing investigation the arms deal.

"This allegation is utterly baseless. I have nothing to hide and reject with contempt any suggestion that I solicited or in any way agreed to accept or even discussed accepting a bribe," he said.

Zuma said the Scorpions sent his legal team a fax on July 9 which stated that the Scorpions would appreciate it if he responded to their questions "at your earliest convenience, preferably before the end of the month".

His lawyers replied with a fax to the Scorpions on July 15 which said "The matter is receiving attention. We will revert in due course."

With acknowledgment to Sapa.