Imran Ahmad, one of the founding fathers of Newco Rangers, was yesterday awarded £600k damages for malicious prosecution. He was charged with fraud in 2015 in connection with the deal that secured ‘a basket of assets’ from Rangers administrators three years earlier.
This brings the total payout from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for malicious prosecutions in connection with the administration of Rangers to over £52m. The club failed to make provisions for legal challenges by HMRC, which were eventually lost. Assets were sold off to a newco, Sevco Scotland Ltd, later renamed The Rangers Football Club Ltd, before the club was put into liquidation.
The events of 2012 were often theatrical. The initial asset purchase agreement was signed with Sevco 5088 Ltd, before Sevco Scotland assumed the right. Any dispute surrounding this matter was concluded behind closed doors.
Administrators then went through the public motions of trying to sell players’ employment contracts, signed with Rangers to the Newco. This innovative move failed, with Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty, Steven Naismith, Allan McGregor and others walking away.
The administrators also renamed Rangers as RFC 2012 PLC and permitted the Newco to use the trading style “Rangers”. This was seen as crucial by Sevco in picking up business which had previously gone to Rangers. They were able to present a sense of continuity to football fans, although hopes of entering the same league Rangers had played in were thwarted by a Dashing Grassroots-to-Boardroom Manoeuvre across the country.
Within hours of the assets auction being won by Sevco, a consortium of ‘Rangers people’ were keen to buy them. A campaign then followed which was often unpleasant, the assets’ new owners had no business or emotional connections to Oldco.
During this time, police, then COPFS, investigated actions around the sale and purchase and authorised charges. Reputations, including that of Mr Ahmad’s were burned. If you are looking for ‘clean hands’ in this matter, however, you may be disappointed.
£52m is an enormous portion of Scotland’s judicial budget – approximately £10 for every man, woman and child. In paying out for a malicious act, you accept that there was an intent to do harm to the victim, not simply to act without due care.
That is quite an admission from COPFS, who as recently as 2019 declined an offer from Mr Ahmad to apologise and walk away without further consideration. They really, really, did not want to admit to being in the wrong, but were left with no option.
This is how Scotland operates in our times, at least when it comes to football. An inquiry will follow many years from now, when all the actors have left the stage and memories are unable to recall details. Forgive me for being cynical.
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wetters 😂
!!BADA BING!! on 1ST MARCH 2024 4:15 PM
Mark Lawwell is gone
*good luck to him and I do hope he finds a kinder and happier club or company to b with
Tontine Tim,
Agree with you as regards Mark LAwwell. I hope he gets a club whose supporters appreciate him.
G FEARON:
Remind me again, who are you?
Yeah, nobody, exactly.
Mark Lawell left the house? I always thought he was brought in for his Man City Group experience and would model Celtic along their business model. I guess I was wrong.
wait till you see the next guy.
Man City experience? He was an Administrator at their academy, absolutely nothing to do with where he landed at Celtic Park, we all know how he got that job.Strachan’s boy next,Chief European Scout? Last job was running a golf shop……
I think it was videocelts who said he was Communications and Media Content Manager at the City group.
If true , a bizarre appointment 🤔
Does it seem weird that they are on gardening leave? Isn’t this usually done when things aren’t totally amicable?
More to follow hopefully.
Daddy next hopefully
BR’s presser was enlightening, praising Shankland for his ability, the goals he scores and when asked by Bardwaj I think it was, an emphatic no he won’t be trying to sign him.
I see we’re doubling down on that Friday afternoon announcement.
Without wishing to make it about personalities, I do feel our recruitment has gotten steadily weaker since the first window under Ange.
!!BADA BING!! on 1ST MARCH 2024 5:08 PM
Daddy next hopefully
*aye mibbees Ross Desmond is lookin for job
Paul the Spark, no. They will have a notice period written in to their contract that is binding on both parties i.e. say someone has a 6 month notice period. If they resign to take another job they cannot begin that job for 6 months. If an employer terminates the contract, it suggests they do not want the person but must still honour the 6 month notice period.
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM
Thanks for that. So we won’t know if they have been pushed or less likely been headhunted.
Paul 67
Why would Mark Lawwell leave, it’s all the managers fault?
You haven’t been supporting a damaging agenda that is hurting the football club we love have you ?
Hang your head in shame, some of us put the club first.
Mark Lawwell was appointed to a role several levels above his competence and experience. Four disastrous windows later, he is gone. I welcome this as should anyone that has Celtic’s best interests at heart.
Onwards to Sunday.
If Celtic have pushed them out the door, then hopefully they have someone’s in mind more competent to take over and they can start the rebuild for next season.
Cast the net wide, interview candidates, get the best people possible in.
Who was doing the recruitment job in summer 2021? We had punted the previous guy.
was it Nicholson working with Ange and the scouts? McKay claimed he was very busy during that window but Ange praised Nicholson.
Did we ever find out why McKay was pushed? If it was McCarthy contract then surely there were a few people culpable
Sad to see Mark Lawwell forced out. Maybe the next guys in will persuade top players from the top leagues to come and play in our dear old SPL.
Nepotism is an interesting recruitment tactic. I worked in RR for years and the application form actually had a section for naming family and friends in the company. It was seen as a first filter. Especially prevalent in Scotland
A lot of folks did do well, but who knows if non related people would have done as well.
Starting to see it in my current industry in Ireland. C suite people bringing their children in straight from Uni. They get help from everyone due to the dad’s job and they can’t fail. I don’t like it.
Paul, given their track record I’d agree it’s unlikely headhunters are involved.
JAMES FORREST on 1ST MARCH 2024 4:44 PM
G FEARON:
Remind me again, who are you?
Yeah, nobody, exactly.
—————
Oh c’mon James, that’s Ben Stiller straight out of Extras.
😂👍
Scully, he’s not been forced out. That would imply “the board” bending to fan pressure.
When does that ever happen?
It’s the first day of March and work needs to start on summer recruitment. “The Board” have decided they don’t want these guys running it (rightly so in my opinion).
Simple as that.
https://www.bobbysandstrust.com/the-night-we-named-bobby-sands-street/
From the DR, aye right….
“Mark Lawwell is to leave his role as head of recruitment at Celtic.
Peter Lawwell ‘s son arrived at Celtic Park in the summer of 2022 having operated at City Football Group’s head of scouting”
PAUL THE SPARK @ 4:53 PM,
Gardening leave is used for a number of reasons.
In this case, it suggests that the employees have business sensitive information.
I.e. They will know Celtic’s recruitment strategy and targets for the summer and beyond.
Obviously, they don’t want other Clubs targeting the same players.
It’s quite a normal practice in certain businesses such as specialist sales etc…
Hail Hail
PB- A self written LinkedIn post,Pep couldn’t pick him out in a line out
Cement saying bad for game that players running around like ‘penguins’….ie he wanted a penalty.
What about killie players thrown to the ground in Hun penalty box!
Chairbhoy
If it’s a list compiled by Mark Lawwell I’d leak it to Sevco might make a dent on the 60M they’ve gifted them. :D
Both Lawwell and Dudgeon were pushed. Otherwise it would be a coincidence of monumental proportions for them both to have resigned on the same day. Also, if they had resigned, they would be working their notice. The fact that they have been placed on garden leave confirms they were sacked.
How well renumerated all the actors down at Edmiston Drive have been! The Crown prosecution? So will the Woyals be forking up the compensation money ? Not forking likely…
Father and Son combo was always going to be difficult
Perhaps they had a sensible chat and ML did the honourable thing
Or maybe the CEO or DD stepped in
Or perhaps the feedback from this site after an attempt to credit ML had the lights come on
All very messy
So what now !!!!!!!
Do Peter and Paul67 accept the way the cards have fallen
Accept the situation and support the manager and the team
Or is BR in for more of a rough time
If there was animosity towards BR when ML was in situ what’s in store for BR now
This is only going to get more messy
Let’s hope the so called grown ups in room can sit on their hands until we have either won the league or heaven forbid thrown it away
All this nonsense is the reason we are 2 points behind the Huns
Also now we know where BR and Callum where today !!,
67ECW
Positive news re Lawwell jnr. Let’s hope more of the dross and hangers on follow suit.
You wonder from responses to ML leaving, what some supporters want for Celtic.
I take no solace for anyone losing their job, despite the handy pay off they’ll be getting.
If either of them are any good they’ll find similar roles elsewhere, surely, No?
SID @ 6:23 PM,
Yes, crumple it into an office wastebin and job done..:)
Hail Hail