The Crown Office has been forced to pay out millions in compensation to those wrongly prosecuted in relation to the Rangers FC takeover. The botched investigation has cost taxpayers a staggering £53 million, with fears the final bill could exceed £60 million. A judge-led inquiry is expected to be announced shortly to examine the circumstances surrounding the 'malicious' prosecutions.
The taxpayer faces a bill of £53 million after the 'malicious' prosecution of individuals linked to the takeover of Rangers FC more than a decade ago. The latest figures reveal the huge cost of a decision to investigate those who helped facilitate a deal to rescue the Govan club in the aftermath of its financial collapse in 2012. In a statement to the Record, the Crown Office today described the scale of the compensation payouts made after the failed prosecutions as 'regrettable'.
It insisted 'significant steps to safeguard against similar situations arising again' had been taken. The botched investigation ultimately led to no convictions and only one individual - former Rangers owner Craig Whyte - was ever taken to court, where he was cleared by a jury of all charges in 2017. The Crown Office has so far paid out £52.2m to those who were wrongfully arrested - but the final bill is likely to be higher as it does not include the settlement and expenses awarded to the last of the complainers. There were fears the final bill for taxpayers could top £60m. The latest figures were revealed by the Scottish Parliament in a written answer to MSP Murdo Fraser. 'Taxpayers will be appalled that they are continuing to foot an ever-soaring bill in relation to this scandal,' Fraser said. 'This huge sum is money that would have been better spent supporting our public services which are buckling under the strain of SNP cuts. 'This shocking episode saw innocent men targeted, yet typically in SNP-run Scotland no-one has been held to account or taken responsibility.' The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) also faces the prospect of a separate judge-led inquiry into why two men were wrongfully prosecuted during the fraud probe. The probe was announced in 2021 but could finally begin work later this year once civil litigation against the Crown Office is completed. A COPFS spokesman said: 'We appreciate that these costs are particularly regrettable given the pressure on public finances. Throughout these cases we have sought to protect the public purse from avoidable costs. The Crown is committed to public scrutiny of these cases and more information will be made available in due course. 'Since the prosecutions which gave rise to these civil actions, the Crown has taken significant steps to safeguard against similar situations arising again. New arrangements for managing complex cases have been implemented and are now well established.' Financial experts David Whitehouse and Paul Clark were appointed administrators when Rangers went into administration in 2012. They were arrested in 2014 but all charges were later dropped. The Crown has since said their prosecution was 'malicious' and both men were awarded £10.5m each in damages. In an appeal, the Inner House of the Court of Session ruled the Lord Advocate does not have absolute immunity from suit for malicious prosecution. In 2023, a report from Audit Scotland warned the full bill for payouts related to the Rangers malicious prosecution scandal could be higher than £60m. Scotland’s most senior judge this week insisted a figure from the Scottish legal system should oversee the inquiry. Lord Carloway, who is stepping down after almost a decade in the role, said: 'The Crown Office do have certain privileges, et cetera. 'But I think most people would accept that if somebody believes a public officer behaves maliciously, then they really ought to be accountable for that act of malice and that’s basically what we decided. 'I wasn’t involved in whatever negotiations went on between the Crown and the people involved at that. It’s a very large sum of money.' The judge continued: said: “If we’re talking about examining things that have happened in Scotland, my view is unless somebody is accusing the judicial system of some kind of corruption, or some other conduct, then it has to be a Scottish judge. “And the reason for that is if a Scottish judge is bypassed then that is a direct criticism of the independence of the judiciary in Scotland. “The Scottish Government have got statutory duty to uphold the independence of the Scottish judiciary and rightly so.” Frank Mulholland was serving as Lord Advocate - Scotland's top law officer - when he sanctioned prosecutions related to the Rangers takeover. His term as Lord Advocate ended in 2016 and he is now a leading high court judge. He was awarded a CBE in 2017. James Wolfe was appointed Lord Advocate in 2016 and would later be forced to apologise in parliament for the Crown Office's handling of the prosecutions. Whitehouse and Clark were appointed administrators when the company that ran the Ibrox club went into administration. They left Ibrox in October 2012 and were arrested two years later. Insolvency expert David Grier was arrested in 2014. Gary Withey, a lawyer who advised Craig Whyte during his takeover of Rangers, was arrested in 2014
RANGERS FC PROSECUTIONS TAXPAYERS CROWN OFFICE MALICIOUS INQUIRY FINANCIAL SCANDAL
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