Antonio Siracusa (75) and two other men allegedly used numerous false documents to try to fool Nedbank Jersey into believing that they were entitled to the money.
They claimed that the cash, belonging to a trust known as the Five Star Trust, had been held in a Deutsche Bank account before being transferred Nedbank, an Assize jury trial has heard.
But when the trio, along with two alleged ‘heavies’, turned up unannounced at the bank in February, staff became suspicious and contacted the police.
Mr Siracusa was arrested at the Airport the following morning, and his co-accused, 50-year-old businessman Tommaso Caruso and interpreter and writer Enrico Verga (38), were detained the next day.
They deny a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.
During cross-examination yesterday, Crown Advocate Stephen Baker questioned Mr Siracusa about correspondence which apparently showed that there had been discussions about splitting the money 20/80 between Mr Siracusa and the trust.
Speaking through an interpreter, the Milan-based lawyer denied that his 20 per cent was to be paid directly to him, and said it would instead be used to fund charitable projects under his control.
‘It was about the humanitarian project.
‘It was not money that we would pocket.
‘No one would have pocketed so much as a cent.’
‘How many times do I need to repeat this?
‘The 20 per cent was not for me.
‘Always for the projects.’
Later, Mr Siracusa told jurors that his charitable projects included developing a diet-based cure for cancer.
He said that a professor from Rome was pioneering the new method, which involves establishing which foods the body ‘cannot tolerate’ and which eventually can cause tumours.
The defendant said that the method was particularly effective in treating cancers of the spleen, stomach and brain, and that he knew of one man who was so ill that he could not even stand up who went on to make a full recovery.
During cross-examination, Advocate Baker asked: ‘Can you provide a single piece of correspondence between you and the professor in Rome?’
Mr Siracusa replied: ‘At the moment I cannot provide it, but in any case, we were talking on the phone and we also met.’
Advocate Baker continued: ‘You are lying to the jury to make them feel sorry for you.
‘You are using cancer because everyone has had some kind of experience with cancer and you are using it to get sympathy.’
Mr Siracusa replied: ‘Absolutely not. I totally deny it. I do not lie.’
The defendant added that he also had plans to use the money to fund a new treatment for Ebola and that he had been in discussions with people behind the project.
Advocate Baker went on to ask him to name the top five hospitals for the treatment of tropical disease.
Mr Siracusa said he did not know, adding: ‘I am not a doctor. I am not a scientist. I am a lawyer from Italy.’
The trial continues.
