The husband of murdered special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri told a court he had nothing to do with his wife's death.
Fadi Nasri is alleged to have arranged the killing to pay off spiralling debts with a £350,000 life insurance policy, and because he was having an affair.
But he told the Old Bailey that both his limousine hire business and his wife's hairdressing business were doing well and they were not in financial trouble.
Nasri also told jurors that it was not his idea to take out the insurance policy, which he had little interest in.
He said that he was watching television while his wife discussed it with a financial adviser at their home.
Nasri admitted to having a "number of female friends" both before and after the marriage to Nisha.
Mrs Patel-Nasri, 29, bled to death after being stabbed at their home in Wembley, north London, in May 2006.
Nasri was asked by his barrister Orlando Pownall QC: "Did you have anything to do with the death of your wife?"
He replied: "No".
The 34-year-old, of Alderman Court, Barnet, north London, denies murder. Rodger Leslie, 38, of Chesterfield Flats, Bells Hill, Barnet, Tony Emmanuel, 42, of Clements Road, East Ham, east London, and Jason Jones, 36, of Hathaway Crescent, Manor Park, east London, also deny the charge.
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