Barclays bosses are paying secret fees in Qatar & # 39;

Barclays' top bankers paid Qatar £ 322 million in secret fees during the financial crisis in exchange for bailouts, a court said on Wednesday.

The case against four former executives was started by the Serious Fraud Office after the rescue of 11.8 billion pounds by Barclays.

The bank avoided a bailout of the British government in 2008 by raising funds from investors in the Middle East.

The leaders are accused of conspiracy to commit fraud. All four pleaded not guilty.

The defendants are John Varley, the former boss of the bank; the director of the investment bank, Roger Jenkins; Thomas Kalaris, head of the wealth management business of the bank; and Richard Boath, former European head of the group of financial institutions at the lender's investment bank.

The trial is expected to last four to six months. All four defendants were released on bail.

• Why are four former Barclays executives judged?

At the opening of the lawsuit, Attorney Edward Brown told Southwark's Crown Court that during the financial crisis, Barclays and other banks were "under extreme pressure at times to raise more capital" .

He said Barclays was "very eager" to avoid accepting money from the British government, saying it would put it under increased control and surveillance by the authorities.

"It is no exaggeration to say that the future of Barclays as an independent bank was threatened in September and October 2008."

Brown said Barclays received about £ 4 billion in investment from the Qatar Investment Authority and Qatar Holding in 2008.

In exchange, he said, the bank paid fees to Qatar, some of which were additional commission fees hidden in two agreements described as consulting services.

These represented more than double the fees paid to other investors at the bank, which, he said, "demonstrates that the Qataris have done a tough job."

While other junior bankers were tried and even jailed in independent cases for the same way during the 2007-08 financial crisis, it was the first time that a criminal proceeding is engaged against senior executives.

The trial continues.