Ex-Rangers administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clark in £21m settlement

[Uilleam 5,948]

The Fringe continues, the Rangers' Case Revue moving seamlessly from comedy to cabaret: 

first the 'Big Hoose' song (too obscure a number with which to open the show,  i m h o), and now 

'The Billy Boys'.

Bring on the Dancing Girls. 

 

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service's prosecutions of those involved in the takeover, and its aftermath, increasingly presents as a burlesque, scripted or impromptu (it's quite unclear which), increasingly bizarre, and drifting into the realms of the surreal imagination. 

 

 

Officer denies singing Billy Boys anthem

James Mulholland

Wednesday April 14 2021, 12.01am, The Times

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/officer-denies-singing-billy-boys-anthem-0tqjz3xtm

 

The senior detective who led an ill-fated fraud investigation into the takeover of Rangers FC has denied chanting songs associated with the club in front of a witness.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Robertson, 53, said that he may have “referenced” a song called The Billy Boys but did not sing the controversial anthem while in the company of Philip Duffy, an employee with Duff and Phelps, the financial services firm that managed the Rangers administration.

Robertson said he may have mentioned the meaning of a codename for the Rangers administration case used by David Grier, a business consultant. The codename was Project William, which Robertson said was a reference to William of Orange. He said he had learnt about the name when taking a statement from Paul Clark, a former Rangers administrator who was arrested during the investigation and later cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

He added: “I took a statement from Paul Clark in 2012 and I was aware of different project names being given to the files that were being given — so the Murray Group had Project Blue which related to Rangers Football Club then it changed to Project Charlotte; the scenario being Sir David Murray’s offices being in Charlotte Square in Edinburgh.” Murray is a former chairman of Rangers.

Robertson added: “Then when the club was going into administration and they were going to administrators, they decided to change it from Project Charlotte and David Grier came up with a name and his name was Project William. When Paul Clark mentioned it to me, he laughed when he was giving his statement. During his time as an administrator coming from the south of England he had learned the connotations of the name William in relation to William of Orange, King Billy etc and the song The Billy Boys — that was discussed and it was David Grier who named that.

“Now he would have had knowledge in my opinion because David Grier told us he was a Rangers fan and that he grew up in Barrhead outside Glasgow. He would have known that and to us was his private joke.

“During this inquiry, I was asking certain individuals of the connotations of the Project William name.

“I may have mentioned that to Phil Duffy about the William name and the connotations of the name and I may have referenced the Rangers song The Billy Boys in relation to that.

“But I did not stand up and chant The Billy Boys.”

 

He was giving evidence on the sixth day of proceedings brought to the Court of Session by Grier, who is seeking £7 million from police and prosecutors for his arrest after Rangers went into administration.

Grier was cleared of all charges but says his arrest in November 2014 was “career ending”. Police were investigating alleged criminality during Craig Whyte’s takeover of Rangers in 2011.

Grier, 60, is suing the present lord advocate, James Wolffe QC, and Police Scotland, claiming that they had no evidence to justify the arrest or charge. He is also suing the chief constable of Police Scotland. Prosecutors and the force are contesting the action.

Earlier this year Lord Tyre concluded that prosecutors had had no “probable cause” to prosecute Grier. However, Lord Tyre said there was not enough evidence available at that stage to conclude that prosecutors brought the case against Grier maliciously.

Last week Duffy told the court that he thought Robertson had chanted what appeared to be a Rangers song during his third interview at a police station in London, which took six hours.

The case continues.

[compo 7,055]

5 hours ago, Uilleam said:

The Fringe continues, the Rangers' Case Revue moving seamlessly from comedy to cabaret: 

first the 'Big Hoose' song (too obscure a number with which to open the show,  i m h o), and now 

'The Billy Boys'.

Bring on the Dancing Girls. 

 

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service's prosecutions of those involved in the takeover, and its aftermath, increasingly presents as a burlesque, scripted or impromptu (it's quite unclear which), increasingly bizarre, and drifting into the realms of the surreal imagination. 

 

 

Officer denies singing Billy Boys anthem

James Mulholland

Wednesday April 14 2021, 12.01am, The Times

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/officer-denies-singing-billy-boys-anthem-0tqjz3xtm

 

The senior detective who led an ill-fated fraud investigation into the takeover of Rangers FC has denied chanting songs associated with the club in front of a witness.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Robertson, 53, said that he may have “referenced” a song called The Billy Boys but did not sing the controversial anthem while in the company of Philip Duffy, an employee with Duff and Phelps, the financial services firm that managed the Rangers administration.

Robertson said he may have mentioned the meaning of a codename for the Rangers administration case used by David Grier, a business consultant. The codename was Project William, which Robertson said was a reference to William of Orange. He said he had learnt about the name when taking a statement from Paul Clark, a former Rangers administrator who was arrested during the investigation and later cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

He added: “I took a statement from Paul Clark in 2012 and I was aware of different project names being given to the files that were being given — so the Murray Group had Project Blue which related to Rangers Football Club then it changed to Project Charlotte; the scenario being Sir David Murray’s offices being in Charlotte Square in Edinburgh.” Murray is a former chairman of Rangers.

Robertson added: “Then when the club was going into administration and they were going to administrators, they decided to change it from Project Charlotte and David Grier came up with a name and his name was Project William. When Paul Clark mentioned it to me, he laughed when he was giving his statement. During his time as an administrator coming from the south of England he had learned the connotations of the name William in relation to William of Orange, King Billy etc and the song The Billy Boys — that was discussed and it was David Grier who named that.

“Now he would have had knowledge in my opinion because David Grier told us he was a Rangers fan and that he grew up in Barrhead outside Glasgow. He would have known that and to us was his private joke.

“During this inquiry, I was asking certain individuals of the connotations of the Project William name.

“I may have mentioned that to Phil Duffy about the William name and the connotations of the name and I may have referenced the Rangers song The Billy Boys in relation to that.

“But I did not stand up and chant The Billy Boys.”

 

He was giving evidence on the sixth day of proceedings brought to the Court of Session by Grier, who is seeking £7 million from police and prosecutors for his arrest after Rangers went into administration.

Grier was cleared of all charges but says his arrest in November 2014 was “career ending”. Police were investigating alleged criminality during Craig Whyte’s takeover of Rangers in 2011.

Grier, 60, is suing the present lord advocate, James Wolffe QC, and Police Scotland, claiming that they had no evidence to justify the arrest or charge. He is also suing the chief constable of Police Scotland. Prosecutors and the force are contesting the action.

Earlier this year Lord Tyre concluded that prosecutors had had no “probable cause” to prosecute Grier. However, Lord Tyre said there was not enough evidence available at that stage to conclude that prosecutors brought the case against Grier maliciously.

Last week Duffy told the court that he thought Robertson had chanted what appeared to be a Rangers song during his third interview at a police station in London, which took six hours.

The case continues.

This would have been a good case for our former vice chairman,  now ladies and gentlemen of the jury follow me Hullaw Hullaw 

[Uilleam 5,948]

Here is something from The Evening Times, today. 

 

This is about the case of BDO (the Liquidators) v Duff and Phelps (the Administrators). Do keep up.

 

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19290721.rangers-sold-fifth-fair-value-brand-worth-16m-snapped-nothing/

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by Uilleam

[Bluedell 5,627]

Sevco 5088 Ltd didn't buy the assets. It was Sevco Scotland.

 

As for the argument that D&P undervalued the club, obviously a business is only worth what someone was willing to pay for it (ignoring the issues as to who was allowed to buy it). The club may been sold for a fifth of its paper value, but it's ignoring the required investment after purchase to get it back up and running to a required standard.

 

The issue of the players being sold for less than their value is probably due to cashflow. the directors probably had to get them off the books as soon as possible....although we'd all like to have seen more raised from the disposals.

 

This case re-raises a great fear of mine at the time. Could the administrators have raised more by selling the individual assets and not the club as a going concern? i'm fairly sure that they could have. I'm obviously thankful that they didn't, even if D&P's reasons for not doing it are perhaps slightly less than pure.

[Uilleam 5,948]

5 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

Sevco 5088 Ltd didn't buy the assets. It was Sevco Scotland.

 

As for the argument that D&P undervalued the club, obviously a business is only worth what someone was willing to pay for it (ignoring the issues as to who was allowed to buy it). The club may been sold for a fifth of its paper value, but it's ignoring the required investment after purchase to get it back up and running to a required standard.

 

The issue of the players being sold for less than their value is probably due to cashflow. the directors probably had to get them off the books as soon as possible....although we'd all like to have seen more raised from the disposals.

 

This case re-raises a great fear of mine at the time. Could the administrators have raised more by selling the individual assets and not the club as a going concern? i'm fairly sure that they could have. I'm obviously thankful that they didn't, even if D&P's reasons for not doing it are perhaps slightly less than pure.

I think that BDO perhaps is taking its figures from the best possible analyses of values, whether of brand/goodwill, players, real estate, or whatever.

I am not sure that all of that, indeed any of that, actually washes. I expect that we will see in the fullness of legal time. 

[the gunslinger 3,366]

i am not even convinced D&P sold to the highest bidder. 

[RANGERRAB 3,680]

12 minutes ago, the gunslinger said:

i am not even convinced D&P sold to the highest bidder. 

Course they didn’t. Or even the best bidder.

Remember the 4 parties at the beginning after administration? The blue knights, Ng, Bill Miller and the one who caused blind panic to Whyte’s chosen administrators D&P, Brian Kennedy the businessman with the proven track record who should have owned Rangers there and then. But his bid got chucked out for being too low. Very suspicious. Who advised him I wonder ?

Quite how Bill Miller the US truck guy who(as I understood) had never been outside the USA in his life got preferred bidder status was laughable.

But as we know Miller withdrew his bid & Chuckles Green’s consortium rode into town to save the day....or so we thought after the CVA failed. 

Green was really in cahoots with Whyte who couldn’t be seen to own Rangers after he got banned sin die by the SFA. Green duped Whyte and instead of transferring the club & assets to Sevco 5088(in which Whyte was a director) he transferred them to Sevco Scotland (in which Whyte wasn’t a director).

The debacle continued for the next 3 years with all sorts shady shareholders and dubious directors until t3b & king arrived in 2015.

The rest the say is now history but will be interesting so see what eventual conclusions BDO come to at the end of the liquidation process which could still be some time away by looks of things

 

[the gunslinger 3,366]

and green went to his chateau in France a very rich man. Perhaps Dick Strawbridge will visit him for us. 

[compo 7,055]

Looks like the final bill in compensation is going to be upwards of £115 million ,good be ause all incompetence should be punished 

[Bill 13,717]

3 hours ago, compo said:

Looks like the final bill in compensation is going to be upwards of £115 million ,good be ause all incompetence should be punished 

Who's footing the bill for all this punishment?