- guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 December 1999 15.34 GMT
The QCs
• George Carmen on Neil Hamilton
"A greedy and somewhat unscrupulous politician at the time who was on the make and on the take"
• Desmond Browne on Mohamed Al Fayed
"A habitual liar - a man for whom lying has become a sickness."
Mohamed Al Fayed
• On parliamentary sleaze
"You could rent an MP exactly like you rent a taxi driver"
• On Mr Hamilton
"For me, he is nothing, he is not a human, he is someone who would sell his mother for money - no dignity, no honour, nothing"
• On being refused citizenship
"He's insulted, humiliated ... his son can be murdered... And I have to sit in the face of crooked people? I have to continue such trauma for the rest of my life. I'm sorry, your lordship."
• On saying Prince Philip, a man with "German blood and Nazi views", had masterminded Dodi Al Fayed's death
"Let Prince Philip sue me. Let MI5 and MI6 sue me ... they know they are above the law."
• On Margaret Thatcher
"I done for Margaret Thatcher all the things she asked me. You think that fair, that Margaret Thatcher, when it suit her, she just throw me to the dogs, because she was worried that Tiny Rowland with the Observer, he knew about her sons's arms deals"
Neil Hamilton
• On his career
"But for the devastating impact of the constant repetition of Mr Fayed's lies, I think I could have expected to take a front rank position in the Conservative party"
• On the first time he met Mr Al Fayed
"I thought he was a highly convivial and interesting man and I was very glad to meet him."
• On his stay at the Paris Ritz
"I don't think that 'greedy' even now is a word I would attach - but I think we went over the top a bit."
• On himself
"At times I have behaved with a lack of candour, but one thing I am not, is corrupt."
• On the case
"I have had to put on the line every last penny that I possess in the world in order to bring these proceedings, and I am bringing these proceedings because I know the truth - that I am not guilty"
The witnesses
• Lionel Blumenthal, Mobil's former UK group tax manager, on Mr Hamilton's "consultancy fee".
"One's first reaction was to tell him to go to hell, but we couldn't play it that way in those circumstances."
• Peter Preston, former editor of the Guardian, on parliamentary bribes
"It was clear to me that money was passing all over the shop ... that Hamilton and Tim Smith were having money... The words 'greedy bastards' were flying around."
The Al Fayed employees
• Alison Bozek, Personal assistant, on Mr Al Fayed
"I wouldn't say he was an angel, but he's basically a good man."
• Philip Bromfield, security guard, on Mr Hamilton's visits
"I can remember giving him envelopes on two occasions."
• Brian Dodd, former head of security, on his boss
"I have got to leave this court a tainted man by Mr Fayed, who's the biggest bloody crook in this town."
The wife
• Christine Hamilton on the Paris Ritz
"I was a hard-working wife. I worked hard all the time, in the constituency and elsewhere. I had to do the shopping, washing, all the food preparation; and to be at the hotel, it was luxurious, and wonderful, and yes, I enjoyed it."
• On her husband
"He is the most generous man I know."
Summing up
• Mr Justice Morland
"Taking into account all the factors, including anything for Mr Hamilton's claimed loss of his political and business career, you may well think, if you find for him, that an assessment of damages in excess of £150,000 would be excessive."
