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May 27 2012 11:21
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London - A former top South African defence official resigned after suspecting corruption over an arms deal involving BAE Systems, Thales and others, a report said on Thursday.
Pierre Steyn said he left office in 1998 because he was not content proper safeguards were in place which would allow him to prevent or expose corruption in the bidding process, the Financial Times reported.
"I suspected corruption for sure," he said.
"So that made me more determined to enforce good practice.
"When my attempts were frustrated, I said: 'That's it, I must relinquish my responsibility'."
He added that he did not want to make allegations against specific companies or individuals.
Other companies which won out in the £2.1bn deal for military aircraft and vessels included Thyssen-Krupp and Saab, the paper said.
The arms deal was being investigated in Britain and Germany.
Alec Erwin, South Africa's minister of public entreprises, said his country would not tolerate "some kind of fishing expedition" by British investigators over the claims, the paper reported.
Last December, the British government halted a probe into BAE dealings with the Saudi royal family, saying the move was in the national interest.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is visiting South Africa on Thursday on the last leg of his farewell tour of the continent.