The Serious Fraud Office is helping police with their inquiry into Fonterra and two other New Zealand companies connected to a United Nations probe into bribes paid to Iraq under the oil-for-food programme.
An investigation last year by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade cleared Fonterra, JB
Sale and Ecroyd Beekeeping Supplies of breaches under the programme.
But this year the OECD criticised the investigation into Fonterra, saying a ministry search of files was not sufficient.
It said police and other law enforcement bodies should have sought more information from the UN committee.
Police approached the committee after the OECD raised concerns about the lack of action.
A statement from national headquarters in Wellington yesterday said police had now received information from the committee.
"Police are liaising with the Serious Fraud Office about how these matters should be dealt with."
The SFO's assistant director, Gus Andre Wiltens, would not comment yesterday on his office's role. The police statement did not name the companies.
But it said the information received from the committee related to two New Zealand companies identified in the UN's Volcker report last year, and a Vietnamese company named in the report "it is alleged a further New Zealand company had links with".
It has been claimed that Vietnam Dairy Products, which Fonterra supplied milk powder to, knowingly paid kickbacks to Iraq for US$360 million worth of milk powder contracts.
Fonterra said last month issues raised in the OECD report related to the time when the old Dairy Board dealt with the Vietnamese company.
It said it had complied fully with all conditions imposed by the UN and the New Zealand Government around dealings with Iraq.
The company has said previously dairy exporters could not reasonably be expected to know the Vietnamese were paying bribes.
A company spokesman said yesterday that police had still not approached the co-op as part of their investigation.
