The Crown Office and the cover up

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The criminal justice system in Scotland (and south of the border) is on its knees.  It lacks funds to appropriately prosecute crime, this week I spoke to a shopkeeper who closed a business which flourished for decades, citing, among other things, the inability to deter shoplifters.

So what does this have to do with football?  We learned yesterday The Crown Office has increased its allocation to deal with the malicious prosecution of Rangers administrators and those who purchased the assets.  By March this year, £51.7m had been paid out, and additional £8.8m has been set aside to settle on-going matters.

The Crown Office have accepted they maliciously prosecuted people involved in the Rangers period in administration.  High barriers normally have to be overcome to get the Crown Office to prosecute anyone.  This case is remarkable in that it was pursued without necessary evidence, an inquiry – of sorts – will follow.

The headlines will explain that Newco Rangers’ founding director, Charles Green, was one of the victims, as well as insolvency practitioners and others involved around the time of the failure of Oldco and incorporation of Newco.  No one yet is calling out who went after them.  Why they went after them.  Or on whose behalf they went after them.  The latter question is perhaps the reason no subsequent prosecutions have taken place.

I have no time for Green, Duff and Phelps, Whyte or any of the other characters involved in this tale.  But, in 2012 and 2013 the Scottish media led a campaign against those who sold Rangers assets to the stakeholders of Sevco Scotland.  It was partisan and it was coordinated.  It went hand-in-hand with the malicious prosecutions.

Innocent people were harassed, arrested and subject to years of pressure.  The guilty sailed off into the sunset, untouched by the law.  There is a custom for civil actions (like this compensation episode) to be paused while criminal prosecutions take precedent, it never goes the other way around.

The Crown Prosecution Service would rather we all looked the other way.  News desks across the country know all about it because they were foot soldiers in the game.   They are limited in what they can do, but if they could find 10% of the agitation they used a decade ago, the powerful might think twice before opting for a cover up.

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363 Comments

  1. garygillespieshamstring on

    PCS

     

     

    Definitely.

     

    I find them a tight squeeze. The person to whom I give my ticket when we have a spare would not be able to get through the gate as a result of his size and mobility issues.

  2. This has been mentioned recently on here.

     

     

    Have Celtic reduced the turnstiles dimensions. It certainly seems more difficult to physically get in. ?

     

     

    Do Celtic not look at the average size of persons in 2023 compared to 1888.

     

    Do they not equate the Scottish weather which requires big mad jackets. ( We are not Geordies)

     

     

    HH.

  3. bigrailroadblues on

    Good afternoon all from the Victoria Bar. A fine collection of Tims on the blog today. I raise my glass to you all.🍻

  4. Thanks for the explaining Paul67, it’s far too easy for this sort of corruption to be lost in the noise.

     

     

    They really are a toxic bunch, and all the wrongdoing is being paid for by the tax payer again.

  5. Is Scotland a functioning democracy? When your police, prosecutorial service and media are so compromised, it is difficult to say yes.

  6. Paul 67,

     

     

    Again mentioned recently on here.

     

     

    Hollie Greig. The establishment cover up. some may suggest a Masonic involvement.

     

     

    We talk about justice . It was always so.

     

     

    HH.

  7. It’s good to know that the London Rd cycle lane has been given priority status for gritting this winter.

     

     

    The many, many thousands of Celtic supporters who cycle to Celtic Park will be extremely relieved and delighted that the council is prioritising taxpayers money wisely on pet projects.

     

     

    HH.

  8. A wee addendum to what the Football Earnings limiter at

     

     

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16WipKORqiAHCojNt3_hT0SlMBzfGiXYt/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=107947982974245186134&rtpof=true&sd=true

     

     

    illustrates.

     

     

    The limit of RFC Ltd player squad spend based on their latest accounts is £74m so their £65m wage bill is not in breach of FSR Football earnings limiter.

     

     

    However when the limiter drops to 70% thereafter to £65m they are sailing close to the wind and that assumes same player sale income stays at £23.6m as in latest accounts

     

     

    So contracts being issued now over a 3 year period suggests their a wage bill of £65m will drop a bit (if football earnings do not increase by qualifying for the CL either directly or via 2 qualifying rounds)

     

     

    The addendum point is that if Celtic player squad current spend is £60m it makes no difference how much Celtic can spend within their 80% limiter (£107m) if the aim is to spend much the same as our rivals and use the difference to fund other initiatives like Barrowfield upgrade.

     

     

    The problem with greater transparency that FSR introduces with a requirement all clubs must post their accounts on the web and accounts figures must align with the figures presented to obtain a licence, is that it raises questions not previously possible, which is where accountability comes in.

  9. Everton docked 10 pts after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial fair play rules in the biggest points deduction in the league’s history.

  10. Auldheid..

     

     

    Thanks for the clarification on the last thread.

     

     

    The FSR is a puzzle for me.

     

     

    If the percentages of football income are as stated, why do we need over fifty percent of our turnover in the bank to ensure smooth transition from a UCL season to a Europa season?

     

     

    Your point of investing that money that the FSR allows is key.

     

     

    If we are going to go from 90%, to 80%, to 70% surly a good strategy would be pushing the boat out with our “rainy day fund”.

     

     

    Recruit expensive players now, then sell them when we reach 70%, the gains we get from those player sales will be regarded as football income enabling us to reinvest that money in recruitment.

     

     

    Spending now for short-term, medium-term and if we get the recruitment right, long-term advantage.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  11. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    An Dun 12.40, democracy needs 4 strong pillars to function properly: the executive, the legislature, the judiciary and the ‘forth estate’.

     

     

    All 4 are a joke in Scotland, so the answer to your question is ‘no’.

     

     

    We live in a kleptocracy.

  12. FOURSTONECOPPI on 17TH NOVEMBER 2023 12:59 PM

     

    Everton docked 10 pts after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial fair play rules in the biggest points deduction in the league’s history.

     

     

    _______________________________________________________________________________

     

     

    I assume that the 10 points deduction will be successfully appealed and they will be fined and told not to do it again unlike any diddy clubs who are generally on the wrong end of these decisions?

  13. AULDHEID on 17TH NOVEMBER 2023 12:54 PM

     

     

    Thanks for that.

     

     

    The £65m is the wage bill for the entire organization not the football department. They’ve included figures for the players wage bill in the last couple of financial reports although it’s always been just the players and not the rest of the football department.

     

     

    Do you know why they figures include our profits from player sales in their entirety while theirs is a much lower amount?

     

     

    I think it’s important to remember that the income numbers will be calculated over a three year period and the ratios are for footballing department costs. This year will keep them safe for a while yet, and all it takes is another big sale every few years and they’re safe. It could be why Bennet talked so much about the importance of their “fourth pillar” of player trading.

  14. THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 17TH NOVEMBER 2023 1:05 PM

     

     

    An Dun 12.40, democracy needs 4 strong pillars to function properly: the executive, the legislature, the judiciary and the ‘forth estate’.

     

     

    All 4 are a joke in Scotland, so the answer to your question is ‘no’.

     

     

    We live in a kleptocracy.

     

     

    =============

     

    Tend to agree

     

     

    Eh devolved kleptocracy as it only has executory powers over some bits,not all,same with its kegislature,its judicial(legal) system feins independence when it comes to facing up to eatablished interest,in this case the desperation to claim fraud by tbe system to protect the monied establishment of Sir Hunner of Pence who owns totally the ubending and liquidatiin of Rfc.The meeja are owned by the same offshore base most in fleet st are parented by.sadly whored and not free. Plutocracy may be a better term in the whole Uk context

     

     

    HH

  15. Safe from sanction by uefa anyway.

     

     

    The main danger to them, as before and like with every football club out there is running out of cash.

  16. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Where is former DCI Jim Robertson now?

     

     

    Disowned by the establishment?

     

    In hiding?

     

    Under Witness Protection?

     

    PNG?

     

    Tarred, feathered, run out of town?

     

     

    Nope.

     

     

    Where is former Sheriff Lindsay Wood?

     

     

    As above.

     

     

    At least his boss recommended a formal professional censure.

     

     

    Colin Sutherland, who wears a wig, calls himself Lord Carloway and who was kept in the loop by Wood, ignored his recommendation.

     

     

    How about it Colin?

  17. AN TEARMANN on 17TH NOVEMBER 2023 2:02 PM

     

     

    I didn’t. I read he had been told by Sevco and accepted it that the £9m increase in wages was down to CL qualification bonuses which doesn’t add up at all

     

     

    It’s probably my bias but I rarely agree with him about their accounts. He appears on Sevco fan podcasts and YouTube channels a bit too much for me to think he’s not giving them a message they want to hear

  18. CELTIC40ME on 17TH NOVEMBER 2023 1:42 PM

     

    AULDHEID on 17TH NOVEMBER 2023 12:54 PM

     

     

    Thanks for that.

     

     

    The £65m is the wage bill for the entire organization not the football department. They’ve included figures for the players wage bill in the last couple of financial reports although it’s always been just the players and not the rest of the football department.

     

     

    Do you know why they figures include our profits from player sales in their entirety while theirs is a much lower amount?

     

     

    I think it’s important to remember that the income numbers will be calculated over a three year period and the ratios are for footballing department costs. This year will keep them safe for a while yet, and all it takes is another big sale every few years and they’re safe. It could be why Bennet talked so much about the importance of their “fourth pillar” of player trading.

     

     

    =======================

     

    Cheers for pointing out the difference. I just used the wage figures on yesterdays CQN blog but if both sets of accounts include non player wages the safety margin is relative to both and the same longer term conclusions still apply as does the point about how Celtic spend up to the limiter on wages.

     

     

    Knock off say £2.5m for non player wages from both clubs figures and RFC are still spending more than we are on players and the question has to be why?

     

     

    Yup player sales are key to them staying inside FSR limits but less so for Celtic and if they are selling their best there is no reason to think they will replace with equal quality at lesser cost. An area Celtic have had difficulty doing or not done. This affect the performance standard on the park.

     

     

    As you say FSR is intended to work over 3 years but licensing is annual so the trend towards or away from sustainability should be clear and UEFA can step in to correct if RFC are heading in the wrong direction.

     

     

    I don’t know the reason for the different presentation of profits from player sales I’m afraid but Celtic auditors will know why Celtic do what they do so a question to The Company Sec via SLO might get an answer.

     

     

    Thanks for replying it helps clarify what FSR will result in.

  19. An Dun

     

    It likes to give the impression it is but it isnt.

     

    Don’t lose sight of 2 Tax evading schemes operated by that club,side letters made them so, no-one held accountable for these although the names are well known,jail time is normal when guilt is established, that is the corruption when the law officers look the other way,[dont think we need to be a rocket scientist to know why] look for patsies and its still costing the tax payer, an utter scandal of National proprtions.