Former AWB chairman Trevor Flugge has responded to mounting pressure by announcing that he would step aside from his public company board positions.
Mr Flugge will be taking leave from IBT Education, where he is chairman, and from Wesfarmers and Automotive Holdings Group, where he is a director.
His position has come under increasing scrutiny after highly critical testimony at the Cole inquiry, which is investigating AWB's payment of multi-million dollar kickbacks to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Mr Flugge, who was also paid nearly $1 million by the Australian government as a special envoy to Iraq, repeatedly told the inquiry he could not recall key meetings, and said he had lost his diary and had poor hearing.
In a statement issued through his lawyer, Mr Flugge said: "notwithstanding the continuing support of the boards for my directorships, I believe that my personal well-being and the interests of shareholders would be best served by taking leave to allow the Cole inquiry to conclude."
The companies all said that the decision was Mr Flugge's personal choice.
