Minister of correctional services Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly also sought to keep the report under wraps, sparking tension with Vincent Smith, the chairman of parliament's portfolio committee on correctional services.
As a result, deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe had to intervene.
Smith confirmed that Bosasa had demanded that the report be kept "confidential", but denied Mapisa-Nqakula's alleged role in the attempted cover-up.
The investigating unit confirmed that Bosasa's lawyers wrote indicating "that they (Bosasa) believed the proposed presentation was unlawful". In February the company also launched "legal proceedings to stop the questioning of some witnesses and the investigation itself. The SIU has agreed not to question witnesses until the finalisation of the (court) proceedings."
The unit's report details how Bosasa won contracts from correctional services. Unit head Willie Hofmeyr released parts of the report to the portfolio committee this week, including allegations that Bosasa paid kick-backs to top government officials.
One official allegedly accepted a house, cars, an overseas trip for his daughter and rugby season tickets to watch the Blue Bulls in exchange for awarding tenders.
The company, which was repeatedly defended by former correctional services minister Ngconde Balfour, received tenders worth close to R2-billion for services in IT, security and prison meals, and in some cases it allegedly wrote tender specifications.
Hofmeyr said the official, who is still to appear in court and may not be named, was instrumental in awarding four tenders worth hundreds of millions of rands to a single service provider and its affiliates between 2004 and 2006.
Smith said he took Bosasa's demand to parliament's legal advisers, who advised him to reject it on the basis that he did not have a copy of the unit's report.
"I don't know whether by the 'report' they meant information on the report or the report itself. They said that because they had issues with the report, it must be kept confidential," Smith said.
"We said to them, in two paragraphs crafted by the legal department of parliament, that it (their demand) does not arise because we don't have the report."
It is not clear how Bosasa came to know about the pending release of the report to parliament.
Smith, an ANC MP, denied there were tensions between him and Mapisa-Nqakula, over the unit's report. But government and parliamentary officials said that the differences between the two were resolved at a meeting with Motlanthe, the leader of government business in parliament.
The meeting paved the way for the portfolio committee to hear the unit's findings.
Motlanthe's office confirmed the meeting took place but denied that the report was discussed.
His office said Motlanthe met the two after questions were raised about Mapisa-Nqakula's "relationships" with the portfolio committee.
It did not specify the nature of the relationships that led to the hastily convened meeting.
"The report was not a subject of discussion at this meeting, but the functioning of the committee as a consequence (of) relationships," Motlanthe's office said.
Smith said the meeting discussed the need for Mapisa-Nqakula to attend ANC portfolio committee caucuses.
Mapisa-Nqakula denied harbouring concerns over the handling of the report. She declined to answer questions about the meeting with Motlanthe, nor would she confirm whether it had taken place.
Her spokesman, Sonwabo Mbananga, said the minister " has never lost a night's sleep" over the report and "has never and still does not harbour concerns with regard to processes that are unfolding ..."
Sources said Mapisa-Nqakula had stunned ANC MPs when she disclosed that she had attended a function sponsored by Bosasa at an East London prison a week before the Special Investigating Unit briefed the portfolio committee about the company's alleged shady deals.
"The ministerial team only found out in the vote of thanks that one of the sponsors was Bosasa," Mbananga said.
Bosasa spokesman Papa Leshabane questioned the report's findings because the company had not seen the report and had not been afforded an opportunity to respond.
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