Asil Nadir and the 135 tonnes of cash

Asil Nadir with his wife Nur at the Old Bailey, where his trial continues (AP)

The business tycoon Asil Nadir's claims that his associates paid cash to balance the books of his failing empire were not credible because they would have needed notes piled 300 times the height of Nelson's Column, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.

Mr Nadir, accused of siphoning £150m from Polly Peck International, told investigators his mother and others paid back the money at a bank of his in Cyprus. Prosecutors said one of the deposits would have weighed more than 135 tonnes in notes. Mr Nadir, 70, of Mayfair, central London, denies theft. The case continues.