Nicholas Hoogstraten has racked up more than £3 million in court fines - and they are rising by the week.

The tycoon was ordered to reveal the full extent of his fortune more than a year ago as part of continuing legal action involving the family of a murdered business associate.

For every week he has failed to comply, the bill for contempt of court has grown by £50,000.

The Court of Appeal heard yesterday none of the outstanding fines had been paid.

The court was also told costs of £200,000 and a downpayment for damages of £400,000 were owed.

But Mr Hoogstraten, 59, whose manslaughter conviction in connection with the death of slum landlord Mohammed Raja was overturned last year, described himself as "a multi-millionaire who has given all his assets away".

The tycoon - whose personal wealth was once estimated at £500 million - pleaded with judges to allow him more time to raise money to fund a court action.

He said he had been putting his wealth into trust funds since 1985, although he accepted he had 11 properties in Cannes.

He is challenging a series of orders involving Mr Raja, whose family continued a legal action over property and lost rentals valued at £5 million, which they say he appropriated.

The family won its case in December 2002, when High Court judge Peter Smith struck out the defence because of Mr Hoogstraten's failure to disclose his assets.

The judge also imposed contempt of court fines for failing to disclose details of his wealth, together with orders freezing his assets and confiscation of property.

In the Court of Appeal yesterday, Lord Justice Pill, Lord Justice Chadwick and Lord Justice May heard from Alastair Walton, counsel for the sequestrators, that Mr Hoogstraten's fines for failing to disclose amounted to more than £3 million.

Mr Walton said he would not challenge an application for adjournment but pointed out every week of delay meant another £50,000 fine.

Representing himself, Mr Hoogstraten said: "I'm getting sick of all these suggestions I am a liar, or dishonest, or whatever.

"I'm probably the only person who can stand here and say everything I have said is accurate.

"This is the first opportunity I have had at any time in one-and-a-half years to speak on any of these issues. I live in the real world."

Mr Raja was shot and stabbed to death by two men in 1999 identified in the Old Bailey as hitmen. Mr Hoogstraten was initially convicted of manslaughter for the killing but was cleared on appeal and released from a ten-year prison sentence.

Yesterday, Mr Hoogstraten began by telling the court he would be representing himself, saying: "I have to do most things myself because I employ people only interested in racking up fees."

But he later attempted to delay the proceedings, asking for a six-week adjournment allowing him to instruct a legal team.

The court was told the next available date would be at the end of June, by which time another £600,000 of fines would have accumulated.

Peter Irvin, QC, representing the Raja family, said: "This sort of thing should not be allowed to happen. I cannot speculate what goes on in Mr Hoogstraten's mind.

"Mr Hoogstraten works in somewhat unconventional ways, if I can put it as politely as I can. All we can say is these are delaying tactics."

Referring to Charles Dickens' eternally optimistic character Wilkins Micawber, he added: "Everything that has happened has the hallmarks of deliberate delay. It is all Micawberesque, delaying until the day something turns up.

"It may be delaying the eventual day until something else comes up, such as the estates running out of money. The estate has nothing, the sequestrators have very little. Mr Hoogstraten has managed to sidestep orders that were made."

Mr Irvin said the delays were affecting the Raja family.

He told the court: "This has been an immensely worrying case for the estate and the Rajas.

Repeated adjournments will cause problems."

The hearing was expected to resume today.