The President, the dictator and a $9m demand for Oval Office chat

More trouble swirled around the disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff yesterday, after reports that he sought $9m from the leader of the west African country of Gabon to organise a White House meeting with President George Bush.

The episode was revealed in documents released by a senate committee investigating other dubious dealings of the scandal-battered Mr Abramoff, most vividly a personal letter from the lobbyist to President Omar Bongo, dated 28 July 2003. Mr Abramoff informed the Gabonese leader that his lobbying firm had already been approached by "a neighbouring nation" which had offered money to launch a major lobbying effort in Washington, its centrepiece a meeting with Mr Bush.

But Mr Abramoff wrote that he had been assured that Gabon still wanted to use the services of his firm, and would match its neighbour's offer.

The documents, obtained by leading US newspapers, show that the lobbyist drew up a draft contract for Gabon to pay $9m to the privilege.