Australian executives, including former managers at Leighton Holdings, will be hauled before the Senate's inquiry into foreign bribery to explain their part in the alleged oil industry bribery racket exposed by Fairfax Media.

In what will be a welcome focus on white collar crime for Labor, members of the economics committee Nick Xenophon and Sam Dastyari are orchestrating a special public hearing for the same week Parliament resumes on April 18 to debate the Coalition's crackdown on union corruption through the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

Fairfax Media understands former Leighton executives Russell Waugh, David Savage and Peter Cox will be invited to attend but if they refuse the committee will employ rarely used powers to summons them to Canberra.