THE scandal surrounding the Clintons, becoming known as pardongate, took another twist yesterday when it emerged that an aide of Senator Hillary Clinton helped secure presidential pardons for two criminals.

The revelation came a day after her brother, Hugh Rodham, a lawyer, was forced to repay #250,000 he had earned for successfully obtaining presidential pardons for two criminals from Bill Clinton on the day he left office.

It was also revealed that Roger Clinton, the former president's half brother, was investigated for trying to sell presidential pardons.

A ''heartbroken'' Mrs Clinton said last night she had been unaware of the payments to Mr Rodham. ''I was very disappointed and saddened by this whole matter. It came as a surprise to me and it was very disturbing,'' she said.

Her husband is already under fire from friends and foes for granting a pardon to Marc Rich, a fugitive millionaire financier, whose ex-wife helped bankroll the Clinton presidential library in Little Rock and is a major contributor to Democratic funds.

As she spoke, lawyers said Mrs Clinton's Senate campaign treasurer helped secure two last-minute pardons.

The treasurer, William Cunningham, a New York lawyer, is the law partner of Harold Ickes, a long-time Clinton adviser. He said Mr Ickes referred the two Arkansas men, both Republicans, to him about a week before Mr Clinton left office. They are Robert Clinton Fain and James Lowell Manning, convicted in the 1980s on tax charges.

''Harold does not do this kind of work, and we are partners, so Harold contacted me and asked if I would speak with them. I told them I would be happy to review the paperwork and submit the applications,'' Mr Cunningham said.

He said his and Ickes's firm was paid just #2750 for the work of preparing and sending the applications to the justice department. He said neither contacted the White House nor discussed the pardons with Mrs Clinton or the former president.

Mr Cunningham said he did not believe his role as Mrs Clinton's treasurer during her Senate campaign in New York last year had any effect on the ex-president's decision.

Mr Ickes said he did not talk to either Clinton about the two men.

The revelation comes one day after Mrs Clinton's brother returned #250,000 he collected for helping secure a pardon and a prison commutation for two other clients. At the request of the Clintons, Mr Rodham refunded the cash. The Clintons said they were unaware of the arrangements.

The 140 pardons and 36 prison sentence commutations Mr Clinton granted just hours before George W Bush took office a month ago have generated criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. A congressional committee and the US Attorney's office are investigating.

Another former president, Jimmy Carter, accused Mr Clinton of abusing his power and bringing disgrace to the White House with his last-minute pardon of Rich.