The former chief executive of Olympus Corp said on Tuesday he was in contact with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is probing massive advisory fees linked to the Japanese company's takeover of a British company.

I'm in contact with the FBI, but I'm not prepared to elaborate further than that, Michael Woodford told Reuters. Since being ousted as CEO, Woodford has called on authorities in both Britain and Japan to investigate the payments.

The 51-year-old also said that the original whistleblower whose questions in Japanese monthly magazine Facta prompted him to investigate the payments, had been in touch with him via an intermediary.

The deepening scandal has wiped out more than half of the camera and endoscope maker's market value and prompted irate shareholders to call on the board for answers.

(Reporting by Kirstin Ridley and Alexander Smith)

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