The official investigation into whether Australia's monopoly wheat exporter paid A$300m ($225m, €186m, £127m) in bribes to Saddam Hussein's regime has unearthed evidence drawing John Howard, prime minister, into the alleged scandal for the first time.

The Commission of Inquiry, which is probing allegations that AWB paid kickbacks to Iraq under the discredited United Nations oil-for-food programme, released a letter written by Mr Howard in which he sought to work "closely" with the wheat exporter, just weeks before the company's chief executive visited Baghdad to negotiate illicit payments to the Saddam regime.