Harrods' boss Mr Mohamed Al Fayed yesterday accused former Tory minister Mr Neil Hamilton of being a man who would "sell his mother" for money.
Mr Al Fayed, who is being sued for libel by Mr Hamilton over his allegation that he corruptly took cash for asking parliamentary questions, told the jury that the one-time MP regarded him as "a golden goose".
His claims came on the second day of the hearing in London shortly after he went into the witness box to rebut Mr Hamilton's libel claim.
Mr Al Fayed said of 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."
Mr Hamilton, the former Conservative MP for Tatton, is suing Mr Al Fayed over a 1997 Channel 4 Dispatches programme. In the programme Mr Al Fayed alleged Mr Hamilton had corruptly demanded and accepted cash, vouchers and a holiday at the Paris Ritz in return for asking parliamentary questions on behalf of Harrods.
Mr Al Fayed denies libel and pleads justification.
Mr Al Fayed told the jury that Mr Hamilton came up with "baloney excuses" for money "because he think he have discovered the golden goose".
Mr Al Fayed accused Mr Hamilton's lawyers of "inhumanity" in capitalising on his grief over the death of his son Dodi.
During his opening of the libel action, Mr Desmond Browne QC, for Mr Hamilton, had used words to the effect that Mr Al Fayed had "forfeited all sympathy" over the tragedy.
Mr Al Fayed said: "It's very hurting. It's inhumane. I think he's done it basically to upset me and upset the family . . ."
"To repeat such tragedy is completely inhumane and someone, if he is a father, he have children, and he understand what it means for a father to lose his son - he have to pursue every angle to find out if there is anything suspicious about the loss of my son."