THE judge considering alleged libellous claims against South Wales East AM Mohammed Asghar has retired to consider his verdict.

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker heard that there was a "conspiracy of silence" from the defendants in a libel case brought by the Conservative AM and his friend Abdul Rehman Mujahid.

Manzoor Ahmad, Farzand Ali, Shokat Butt and Mohammad Ali Hayat deny circulating a "dossier" of false allegations about Mr Asghar AM, including that he was involved in fraud and money laundering.

Earlier in the case, South Wales East Conservative AM Mr Asghar said a folder of allegations was sent out by at least one of the defendants in an attempt to damage his reputation.

He claimed Welsh Conservative Party leader Andrew RT Davies was sent the dossier in January 2012.

Mr Asghar said: “It was a character assassination."

One allegation was that Asghar financed a slaughterhouse in Birmingham with corrupt money received by a relative in Pakistan. Another was that he improperly paid imams to go on pilgrimage to Mecca, who advised people to vote for him.

During the trial at Cardiff Civil Justice Centre yesterday, William Bennett alleged there had been a "blanket of silence" among the defendants about who knew what about the "extreme allegations".

He said Asghar now sought "vindication" after already previously winning damages from the Nawa-i-Jang, an Urdu language newspaper which printed the allegations.

Illness meant a fifth defendant, Javed Javed, could not attend the trial and separate proceedings may be brought against him.

A date for the judge's ruling had not yet been set.

Proceeding.