Economists Allied for Arms Reduction-South Africa (Ecaar-SA) wants its court case against the government for the cancellation of the arms deal to proceed without further delay.

The Cape High Court on March 26 ordered government respondents to make key documents available to Ecaar within 10 court days. The documents contain the advice of the International Offers negotiating team as well as the Financial Working Group on the arms procurement package.

Ecaar chairman Terry Crawford-Browne said yesterday that despite this order the director-general of the national treasury Maria Ramos "instructed the court in an affidavit that access to the documents be limited to the applicant's legal advisers and that this honourable court give such other directions as are appropriate to ensure protection of the confidentiality of such documents".

Ecaar contends that the finance ministry has "recklessly encumbered South Africa's present and future assets and ceded control of South Africa's financial and economical policies for the next 20 years to the British government and the international monetary fund".

Crawford-Browne said yesterday that despite the court judgment seven weeks ago he had, in May, in "peculiar circumstances and with less than one hour's notice" been called to a meeting to view the documents.

He said he had instructed Ecaar's attorneys in writing that he did not want to view these documents "surreptitiously ... I am entitled to these documents, and the public is entitled to know their content given the judgment of the court, which was made without reference to confidentiality arrangements".

He said earlier this week a confidentiality arrangement was unsuitable because the case was about the right of the public to know what their government was doing.

Crawford-Browne said he was keen to proceed with the substance of the case rather than be held up by procedural arguments.

He said he had instructed Ecaar's attorneys to proceed with an application for court dates to expedite the matter.

In a surprising twist Logan Wort, acting chief operating officer for the treasury, said yesterday: "We are unaware of any invitation to anyone to view the documents related to this case." He said the treasury had, in compliance with the court order, lodged the documents with the court, and it was up to the court "how to proceed".

"For Crawford-Browne to suggest that we are in contempt of court one can only assume he himself did not read the findings of the court or that he doesn't understand how court procedure works," he said.

With acknowledgements to Andre Koopman and the Cape Times.