Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Mark Vaile (C) in Iraq
© AFP/Pool/File John Feder

SYDNEY (AFP) - AWB sent three volumes of documents, detailing how the kickback scheme worked, to the probe headed by retired judge Terence Cole on Thursday morning, nine months after the government-commissioned inquiry began public hearings.

With the inquiry due to wrap up the hearings this week, a furious Cole demanded to know why the documents were not produced earlier.

"It seems apparent to me these documents ought to have been produced months ago,' he said. "I am unable to understand why they were not."

Among the documents was an email sent six years ago by an AWB executive to a British company seeking help in covering up some of the 220 million dollars AWB allegedly paid to Saddam's regime in defiance of United Nations sanctions.

Cole said AWB had claimed it was not produced earlier because one of the company's in-house lawyers had deemed it "irrelevant" to the inquiry.

"It seems inconceivable to me that any lawyer could take that view," he said.

It is not the first time the probe has had trouble obtaining documents from AWB.

In March, counsel assisting the inquiry, John Agius, became so frustrated with the company that he threatened to execute a search warrant and raid AWB's headquarters unless it produced documents promptly.

AWB also launched a lengthy court battle to keeps its documents under wraps by arguing they were subject to legal privilege.

The Federal Court threw out the company's case earlier this month, ruling that AWB had deliberately and dishonestly set out to defraud the UN through its improper dealings with Iraq.

©AFP