Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former president FW de Klerk have joined forces and jointly petitioned the president to appoint an independent commission of inquiry into the arms deal.

The letter signed by the two Nobel laureates and dated December 1 was delivered by hand on Tuesday to President Kgalema Motlanthe's Tuynhuys office in Cape Town.

The pair have urged Motlanthe to appoint the commission by December 10 and to draft its terms of reference in such a way as to allow the "widest possible investigation into impropriety and corruption".

The commission should be required to indicate who, if anyone, should face prosecution and on what charges, the letter states.

Moreover, there should also be an investigation into the possibility of cancelling arms deal contracts tainted by corrupt and fraudulent dealings, and recovering payments already made.

"The urgency of the matter is self-evident. The country is moving towards a general election, and the voters are entitled, in the spirit of free and fair elections, to be informed about what has become a major scandal in the country's political discourse."

Should Motlanthe decline the petition, "we respectfully request that you furnish the reasons for your decision", the letter states.

The pair say they have written as concerned citizens and in conjunction with other organisations.

Tutu and De Klerk said it was reasonable to assume that allegations of impropriety and corruption in the arms deal had substance. They noted that three books had been written on the subject, by former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein, retired banker Terry Crawford-Browne and historian Paul Holden.

In addition, there were also extensive media revelations and the records of the criminal proceedings against former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni and ANC president Jacob Zuma's former financial adviser Schabir Shaik.

Moreover, Judge Chris Nicholson had also indicated the desirability of such an inquiry, the letter states.

Allegations of bribery by BAE to secure arms contracts were now also under investigation in seven countries, and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which has oversight over international commitments on corruption.

In addition, BAE executives had been detained in the US for questioning by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The letter also notes it was public knowledge that the Scorpions last week raided various premises controlled by John Bredenkamp, Fana Hlongwane and others in connection with BAE's South African contracts.

The firm is alleged to have paid bribes amounting to about R1,5-billion to secure these contract, which were allegedly laundered through front companies in the British Virgin Islands and elsewhere.

See a copy of the letter

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With acknowledgements to Angela Quintal and Cape Times.