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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SEAN THORNTON
Sad, sad, news!
Prayers said for those who remain,
Rest in peace Mick!
sean thornton on 1st March 2024 9:20 pm
Sorry to hear about your brothers passing.
Remember the good times.
Sean….i lost a brother. One of his friends told me not to fret and that my bro had just started an incredible journey……I like to think of it as that…
Sorry Burnley 78 but every Celtid fan I have spoken to today is delighted that Mark Lawwell will be leaving his post.Guess we all see things differently but accusing Celtic fans of wanting the club to fail is absolute drivel .I would guess that David 66 wanted rid of Mark Lawwell to give Celtic a greater chance to succeed.
B78 – The level of arrogance based on sheer ignorance here is incredible.
Tell me you’re looking in the mirror 🤔
SS@9:09
That was very funny 😁 😂🤣👏👏
Speaking to someone who knows our invisible CEO pretty well this week in London.
Nice guy, CEO material not in a million years.
It needs to be a clear out of the guys dragging the club dowm.
Toxic Lawwell will leave in the summer. A search for a new CEO should be started now.
We need a strategic Director of Football.
Dermot just needs a quiet morning and push the button on all the changes.
Soon it will be celticquicknews again rather than Lawwellquicknews
Good night to all happy clappers
EAIRHILL BHOY
Good to see you posting!
FAIRHILL FFS
Sean Thornton,
So sorry to hear your very sad news.
PHILBHOY
Re phones on the golf course….i agree with you…BUT….Lenny was still trying to impress….it worked…he got the job
Phil
You are a Bo’ness dumpling. So there now.
@Sean ..It hurts… so sorry to hear of your brothers passing….
H.H
BRRB
I used to be!
But since dry January I have lost a stone and look more like Charles, err, Atlas!
Couldn’t make today due to ongoing minor health issues.
My advice to you youngsters on here is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,don;t get old!
Hope you and the gang are good!
Hands up emdae that knew who Joe Dudgeon was???????
Phil.
I’m glad you are well. Arrange a date that suits you and I shall invade Borrowstownwess
That sounds like a threat. 🤣
BRRB
That sound really good!
Not many good pubs in Bo’ness but loads in Linlithgow which is also handy for the station.
Sounds like a plan!
I’m up for that Philbhoy
Sean Thornton
A sore loss, for sure.
BRRB
Sent you an email!
If you’ve got it suggest you ask MOD to delete your email address post!
Sly Sam from Sly News handed his lying ass!
“I won and you’ll just have to suck it up!” says George Galloway.
There are shades of Mr Stein, Mr Ferguson, and Mr Jose Mourinho peering out from behind those Galloway glasses…no wonder thur all jumping out of windows after his election.
A Lion has been thrown in to a Parliament of Wolves….
https://youtu.be/J7p7CAyxHgg
oot.
@B78 .7.48….”A few years in the doldrums i fear”..
Was this your quote??
Just asking ,..
SEAN THORNTON- so sorry for your loss,and family HH
Sean so sorry to hear of Mick’s passing.
May he rest in peace.
God bless and thinking of you all at this sad time.
D. :(
Mod please delete my email at 9.55. Schoolboy error. 🙄
@David 66..The way you dealt with the Mum jibes was admirable.
I’m not sure i could have handled it ..Top Mhan..
H.H
Oot is back and not Oot.
Boring.
BRRB
You get my email?
Sean.
May Mick Rest In Peace.
SEAN THORNTON – Sorry for your loss.
May your brother R.I.P.
Hail Hail
Phil
Aye 👍
Dear, Grandfunk….Please confirm your sort code…..
Your Nigerian friend….Thank You…
Friday night music…
Elton John – Tiny Dancer
https://youtu.be/yYcyacLRPNs?feature=shared
David Bowie – Is there life on Mars?
https://youtu.be/AZKcl4-tcuo?feature=shared
The Cure
Boys don’t cry
https://youtu.be/9GkVhgIeGJQ?feature=shared
Boom! 😎😃👍
Brilliant!
Sean, Very Sorry to read your sad news,your love for your Brother shone through,
Ar Dheís Dé go raíbh a anam dílis.
I said from the day and hour he was appointed Mark Lawwell better be good given who his dad is.
He wasn’t.
Good luck to the lad in standing on his own two feet somewhere else.
The real villain is Lawwell Snr. Time he was away.
Sean Thornton
Sorry to read that, take care and get through this as best you can mate
Delighted the shipwreckers had a good day, hopefully in 20yrs time when I can retire I can go boozing at 12pm on a Friday
One last note … a few prominent posters pre Wednesday (quiet since) seem to back on delighting on some guy fae our recruitment team losing his position but haven’t seem to be bothered commenting on a Celtic 7-1 victory ..
Each to their own
Main focus .. tynecastle
Still 100% Brendan & the bhoys 🍀