Image copyright Interpol Image caption Mr Haidari has been on the list for some years

The Afghan president's office has launched an investigation after it emerged that President Ashraf Ghani's nominee for agriculture minister is on Interpol's most-wanted list.

Interpol's website says Mohammad Yaqub Haidari is wanted in Estonia for large-scale tax evasion dating back to 2003.

The president's office was unaware Mr Haidari had legal problems but was investigating, a spokesman said.

Mr Haidari said he was on the list but was victim of a political conspiracy.

"When you enter the world of business and politics, this is what happens," he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

He told the news agency that the taxes were owed not by him but by a person who bought a company from him that did business in Estonia.

Mr Haidari has been on the list for years, but it was not widely known or reported in Afghanistan.

President Ghani announced his cabinet nominations on Monday some three months after he was sworn in, following tortuous negotiations with former rival and current government chief executive Abdullah Abdullah.