Aitken: Denied allegations

The Aitken case analysed on BBC Radio 4 (four mins 17 secs)

Newspaper Editor calls for Aitken to be prosecuted

Mr Aitken, a former Defence Procurement Minister and chief Secretary to the Treasury, had been accused of accepting financial favours from the Saudi government and of being involved in a secret arms deal with Riyadh.

He had strongly denied the allegations. Neither Mr Aitken nor his wife, Lolicia, who yesterday announced their separation, were in court.

Aitken with his wife

Mr Aitken now faces a legal bill estimated at two million pounds. He must pay 80% of the defence costs - estimated at £800,000 in full - and his own estimated £1.2 million costs.

The editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, says he will ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider taking action against Mr Aitken for perjury.

"Jonathan Aitken seems to have impaled himself on the simple sword of truth," said Mr Rusbridger.

"For three years he has lied to newspapers, lied to the Cabinet Secretary, lied to the Prime Minister and lied to his colleagues. Now he has made his fatal mistake by lying on oath to the High Court," he said in a statement.

Rusbridger talking on BBC's Newsnight about the outcome of the case

Granada TV's World In Action issued the following statement: "Jonathan Aitken's chosen weapon was a dagger of deceit, not the sword of truth. He never really reached for the shield of fair play. The only shield we ever saw was used to try to hide evidence - the truth - from us, from our lawyers and from the court."

The BBC's Anne Perkins looks back at Aitken's career