The United Nations has extended the term of the Volcker Committee, which is probing corruption in the oil-for-food scandal, until March 2006 to enable law enforcement authorities to follow up legal action against beneficiaries of the pay-offs in the programme under Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

However, reams of evidence collected by the committee during its 18-month investigation will be made available to member states only after its renewed term expires on March 31.

Officials said the committee and UN are still negotiating on the release of documents as the committee had received them from several governments and sources, including Iraq, with some of whom it has signed confidentiality agreements.

• Volcker Drama: The Indian connection

From January 1, the committee will have no investigating authority as it has completed its work and will be headed by a new executive director.

Former head of the American Federal Reserve Paul Volcker, who headed the Independent Inquiry Committee, and other commissioners will serve on it on 'strictly advisory capacity' a UN spokesman said.

It will be called the Office of the IIC and will be headed by Canadian Reid Mordan, executive director of the committee.

India has launched investigations into the findings that former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh and the Congress were non-contractual beneficiaries of the programme.

Indian government's special envoy Virendra Dayal had visited New York in the third week of November and had been able to get some key documents.