Tony Yengeni's wife - Lumka - defended her husband yesterday, saying he was not late after his weekend parole and had not drunk alcohol, despite photographs showing a beer bottle in his hand.

President Thabo Mbeki, meanwhile, was spared having to answer questions about the convicted former ANC chief whip after a question related to Yengeni in the National Assembly was ruled out of order.

Given Mbeki's reply to a question in October that "we should always seek to defeat those engaged in fraud and corruption", DA leader Tony Leon wanted to ask whether he believed minister in the presidency Essop Pahad's send off for Yengeni on the day he was jailed was appropriate.

However, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete ruled the question out of order, saying it should rather have been put to Pahad, who should account for his actions

"The president should generally, therefore, not be asked about the conduct of ministers," a letter to the DA from parliament's question office said.

Lumka Yengeni told the Cape Times yesterday: "Everyone who knows Tony will know that he does not drink beer. What is the bottle of alcohol in one's hand, in one's yard where there were so many people drinking say?

"I could have had that bottle in my hand, were you going to say I was drinking? It could have been a [different story] if that bottle was towards his mouth."

A Cape Times photograph of Yengeni with a beer bottle in his hand having a good time with friends in his backyard on Sunday caused a storm.

He also arrived late at Malmesbury prison after he was allowed out of jail on a weekend ahead of his release on parole in mid-January.

"There is a project to portray Tony as this reckless and unruly character who does not have any regard to rules and who breaks rules indiscriminately. No one bothered to get our side of our story," Mrs Yengeni said.

Lumka Yengeni, an ANC MP, said although her husband arrived late at the prison, it was less than an hour late and she had duly informed prison authorities in accordance with regulations governing her husband's weekend parole.

"I was called in to sign documents of his parole. There was a line that says, if for any reason he could not arrive [at prison] on time, there had to be communications with prison authorities. I have done that. I communicated to the head of prison."

In a letter to newspapers, she said: "There have been a lot of false and distorted reports about [Yengeni's] parole conditions. Tony spent the weekend at home with the family and friends. It is a fabrication and malicious lie that Tony violated any of the parole conditions which I undersigned with correctional authorities.

"The sensationalism in the media about his parole conditions is not based on facts, but rather on sustained propaganda to portray Tony as having no regard for the laws of the country, and those of correctional services."

The parole board is investigating Yengeni's alleged violation of his parole conditions and some MPs have raised concerns that if it is true that he was given preferential treatment, it could send wrong signals to the public.

With acknowledgement to the Political Bureau and Cape Times.