Letters

Controversy has arisen in relation to the arms deal report and discrepancies between the draft report and the final one. The controversy relates to material differences between Auditor-General Shauket Fakie's draft report on the arms deal and the final published report, which cleared the executive of any irregularities in the multibillion-rand deal.

The earlier draft report was released only after a sustained court action. It now appears that the material differences were the result of executive interference to which Fakie apparently submitted.

As a result, the published report contained a statement that there were no flaws in the government's contracting position and that no member of the Cabinet was involved in any irregularity. If this indeed did transpire then the independence of the office of the Auditor-General would have been seriously compromised.

Fakie has consistently maintained that only technical and editorial — and not material — changes were made to the final published report. Indeed, he went so far as to table a special report to Parliament to this effect in which he reproached three opposition MPs for suggesting otherwise.

The Auditor-General plays a seminal role in relation to Parliament's control over finance and expenditure by the executive branch of government, and Fakie will have to provide plausible explanations for his conduct.

With acknowledgements to G. E. Devenish and the Sunday Times.