Probe into Aitken 'secret account'

Aitken owes money from his failed libel trial

Investigations have begun into claims that bankrupt former cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken has secreted £2.7m in a Swiss bank account.

Aitken's creditors, including The Guardian newspaper and Granada TV, are owed more than £3m in legal costs following the collapse of Aitken's libel action against them.

Accountants Baker Tilly confirmed on Wednesday that they were looking into reports of a secret account at Credit Suisse bank, in Lausanne.

Aitken's office has described the claims, which appeared in The Guardian, as "untrue".

His creditors are currently considering an offer of £1.7m as settlement of the liabilities.

Family heirlooms were sold to clear debts

Aitken was jailed for 18 months in June 1999 for perjury and perverting the course of justice during his failed libel action.

He was released on 7 January this year.

Louise Brittan, of Baker Tilly, who is leading the Aitken investigation, said: "We will investigate (the claims), but I am unable to give any details of our investigation.

"As a general rule, you would have to have quite a substantial amount of evidence before you could go to Switzerland and ask for a freezing order."

Mr Aitken resigned as chief secretary to the treasury in April 1995 to fight the libel action after saying he would take on the "cancer of bent and twisted journalism".

He called the case "a crusade for truth".

But he dropped it in June 1997 after The Guardian produced new evidence concerning his contention, in court, that his wife Lolicia had paid a bill for a stay at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on a visit to the French capital with their daughter.