Joyti De-Laurey denies the charges against her

Joyti De-Laurey, 35, also blamed her "unsatisfactory" marriage, in a meeting with Goldman Sachs' security officials.

The court heard Mrs De-Laurey admitted buying 11 properties for a total of �1m and giving �880,000 to charities.

In a continuing case Mrs De-Laurey, of North Cheam, Surrey, denies stealing nearly �4.5m from several bankers.

Investigators said Mrs De-Laurey went on to tell them that, apart from a couple of holidays, the rest of the money she allegedly took was "frittered away" on "nothing big".

'Thoughtful and remorseful'

But the Crown claims her spending sprees included a �300,000 Cartier collection, designer clothes and expensive cars.

The secretary is also alleged to have been planning a new life in a �750,000 villa in Cyprus as well as putting down a deposit on a V12 Aston Martin Vanquish and ordering a �150,000 power boat.

Goldman Sachs' regional security officer Jim King told the court the amount of money Mrs De-Laurey claimed she had taken did not tally with the amount initial investigations suggested was missing.

He said during a face-to-face meeting she made admissions "progressively in a calculated way" despite seeming "thoughtful and remorseful".

Mr King said: "It also became increasingly clear to me that we were only being given information as we asked specific questions.

"This was not a process of someone volunteering to completely tell us absolutely everything."

Not guilty pleas

Goldman Sachs' human resources manager Andrew McEachern said Mrs De-Laurey had mentioned the need for a hysterectomy but the court has already heard that at the time she was supposed to be having the operation she and her family were staying in a plush Beverley Hills hotel.

The Crown alleges that Mrs De-Laurey also stole more than �1m from Ron Beller, 41, another former partner and managing director at Goldman Sachs and his wife Jennifer Moses.

Mrs De-Laurey denies a total of 21 charges of obtaining money for transfers by deception using "false instruments", between 27 June, 2000, and 26 April, 2002.

Her husband Anthony, a 50-year-old former chauffeur, and her GP mother, Dr Devi Schahhou, 67, of Hampstead, north-west London, have each pleaded not guilty to associated money laundering charges.

The trial was adjourned until Friday.