Charles Pasqua, a former French minister of interior, has emerged as one of the highest-ranking targets of the widening investigations into the Iraq oil-for-food scandal, writes Claudio Gatti.

United Nations, US and French investigators are examining Iraqi documents that show officials in Baghdad were instructed to transfer lucrative oil allocations to an offshore company, in order to shield him from criticism. Mr Pasqua's alleged role has emerged as inquiries turn to the role of foreign governments in the corruption within the humanitarian aid programme. On Tuesday, Bernard Guillet, Mr Pasqua's diplomatic adviser, was arrested in Paris in connection with the oil-for-food inquiry, on the orders of Philippe Courroye, a French investigative judge. Mr Guillet and Mr Pasqua were unavailable for comment yesterday. Both men have previously denied any wrongdoing.