The SFA’s desperation to grant a playing licence to Sevco is set to be investigated by Police Scotland.
The twisted web of mystery owners is coming under increasing scrutiny with the claims of Craig Whyte and Charles Green unravelling as the new club heads inevitably towards administration.
Fifteen months after the mysterious five way agreement was pushed through the lack of governance by the SFA is coming to light. Last night it emerged that the Economic Crime unit of Police Scotland are stepping up their investigations into matters at Ibrox over the last two years.
Once Rangers went into liquidation Stewart Regan and Neil Doncaster launched a plan to ensure that a club from Ibrox was in the SPL but that was blown out the water by fan power on chairman with First Division clubs rejecting plan B to put the new club in at the top of the SFL.
There are a number of footballing questions over the SFA’s deal with Sevco but the involvement of the police takes things onto a new level with the shady ownership, namely Blue Pitch Holdings and Margarita Holdings, coming under the spotlight.Speaking to Radio Scotland at the end of October SFA chief Regan virtually admitted that he had no idea who was behind the two Ibrox groups.
Regan said: “Malcolm Murray, the former chairman, would have a better view than me about Blue Pitch and Margarita Holdings.
“What I can say is when the club applied to have the membership transferred, a long debate took place and concerns were expressed about Craig Whyte in particular.
“We have a legally-binding indemnity given to us by the consortium at the time that he was in no way involved in any capacity with Rangers. That was the key requirement.
“We are able to challenge the membership in the event Whyte is involved.”
With no names given about the beneficiaries behind BPH and Margarita Holdings it’s not inconceivable that Whyte or anyone else became involved the day after SFA membership was granted.
In another shambolic media performance former Sevco chairman Malcolm Murray further muddied the water only able to talk about an un-named Arab behind the two trusts.
Murray told Radio Scotland: “I’ve met their representatives several times, their lawyer, they are rich Arabs who do not like publicity in any form at all. So that’s who they are meant to be, they funded Charles Green to do this, they don’t want publicity that’s who we think it is.
“Of course in public company shares you never know who owns what, and whose transferred what and whose done side deals with who because we don’t know where Green’s shares are at the moment, we believe that the Easdale brothers have voting rights over them but we just don’t know where they are, there is a slight suspicion as to where they are.”
Most internet bampots following the case have been well aware of the links between Green and Whyte thanks mainly to documents released by Charlotte Fakes.
In the spring The Sun published interviews with Green where he admitted shafting Whyte over the transfer of assets from Sevco 5088 to Sevco Scotland with tapes revealing that money from Whyte was transferred into the bank account of the mother of Green’s Ibrox side-kick Imran Ahmad.
That prompted an internal club investigation by Pinsent Masons which predictably dismissed any link between the club and Whyte which the SFA were happy to go on and drop any investigation into Whyte’s involvement with the new club.
At the end of May the club issued a statement on the report which claimed: “Based on the assessment of the available evidence, the company considers that the investigation found no evidence that Craig Whyte had any involvement with Sevco Scotland Limited (now called The Rangers Football Club Limited), the company which ultimately acquired the business and assets of The Rangers Football Club PLC from its administrators,” said Rangers’ Stock Exchange statement.
“Nor which would suggest that Craig Whyte invested in The Rangers Football Club Limited or Rangers International Football Club plc, either directly or indirectly through any third party companies or vehicles.
“Pinsent Masons’ and Roy Martin’s reports to the company are confidential and legally privileged.
“This announcement is not intended to and does not serve to waive privilege in the contents of the reports which remain confidential and legally privileged.”
Neither Green or Whyte were interviewed by Pinsent Masons.
Last night Malcolm Murray revealed that he had been denied access to the Pinsent Masons report.
He told Radio Scotland: “On the Pinsent Masons investigation that was a pretty full blown enquiry and got narrowed and narrowed and narrowed. I have never seen the report which is one of the reasons that I’m not there now. I’ve never seen it let alone make it public. So we don’t know exactly what is in it, I can’t comment on the Pinsent report.”
Murray added: “I don’t think that there is any contractual relationship from Craig Whyte to Rangers whatsoever. Whether there are any side payments to Craig Whyte by individuals is nothing to do with Rangers and that is something that we may never know.”
Just as they did in 2011 when they wrongly granted Rangers a licence to play in European football while owing money to HMRC it looks like the SFA’s hands off approach is about to end up with another administration.
Having survived the licence issue and got away with the secretive five way agreement it would be no surprise of Regan, Campbell Ogilvie and their colleagues survive the administration and liquidation of Sevco blameless within the corridors of the Scottish football.
With Police Scotland stepping up their investigations it’s becoming more and more likely that shares in the club will be suspended by the AIM
MALKY MURRAY podcast on Radio Scotland
going to need Columbo or Ironside to unravel this mess.
Zombie versions of course.
Can I trust police Scotland any more than I could trust Lord Nimo Stupid or the Ibrox internal investigation or the SFA? Er…NO.
You hit the nail right on the head paranoidandroid.
Why would things be any different this time round, the new club just like the old club will walk away from this with no punishment whatsoever. Like the SFA, the Scottish press and Lord Nimmo Smith, Police Scotland will just let them carry on regardless.
It’s not just R*ngers who are dead, Scottish football is too as our game can’t be considered a sport any longer, sport requires fair play, adherence to the rules and impartiality and because of those mentioned above that no longer exists in our game.
Exactly what I was thinking man. This is, ofcourse, the same Police Scotland who stood by & watched as Dutch Hooligans ripped up seats & hurled them at Celtic fans during the Celtic Ajax game at CP. Not to mention that one of their officers were charged with the destruction of Celtic Park toilets during the last ever Old Firm game.
Nothing will happen, sevco will be found not guilty but will enter administration.
Sweep sweep
And the two missing words are…………dumdaradumdedumtrrrrrrshk.. Sir dodgy dave, who of course has abshoolootly nuffin to do wif nuffin.
What a fkn joke.
HH
Would the rightful owner
please step forward…….SEVCO 5088.
The boy who would be King (not the CROOK ).
But plain old CRAIGY BOY.
Loving it.Loving it.
ps
anybody any info on frwp csc
where do they leave from
HH
Unless you’re a friend of a good friend who’s in with the in crowd who might know a supporter rumoured to be a friend of a member of the FRWP CSC, I couldn’t possibly comment.
FRWP CSC
HH
SH
Seek and ye shall find,
F—Y BALLS !!!
HH
SH (RIP )
Don’t get it Craigy?
The joke was about a comment from Pyewacket saying something about if you’re not farting rainbows about Celtic you get accused of being a hun, which means if you do fart rainbows you are undoubtaly a Tim.
FBFK’NRWP CSC
LOL
HH
Sadly I have to agree with others….the Brotherhood will ensure that this manky mob survives in some shape or form.
In any other country they would be toast.
Only in Scotland.
Wonder how Malky boy will be taking the news that Arabs (not Dundee Utd fans) from the other side of the fence are in charge of Newco and NOT the Scots-British diaspora who built a glorious empire. And also dismantled it leaving behind a cracked empty shell of memories and nothingness.
It will be enough to make him turn to the bottle. A British bottle of course.
Only when I hear the words ‘second Rangers have had their membership licence taken away’ shall I be happy!
Scottish football was broken beyond repair, the minute Newco got granted a licence!
Is Craig Whyte related to Mesut Ozil?
Same eyes 🙂
Can someone not just ask whyte the question? He’d love the opportunity to be on tv n will surely only add more confusion or drop a clanger under question.
Fantastic job you’re doing Craigy bhoy!!
Could the ‘arabs’ in question have business links to Monaco? There’s a reason why Malcolm Murray never saw the Pinsent Mason report, this is gauny get good.
Would the real slim shady please stand up, please stand up.
If there was such an award as the Man of the Decade, then every celtic fan in the world should vote for wee Googly Eyes.
We see a picture of him and it brings a smile to our faces, he releases statements and the belly laughs just flow from us. But the creme de la creme is that all you have to do is mention his name to any sevconian zombie and watch their little peanut heads implode.
The headline I’m waiting for is Craigy boy owns the deeds. He couldnt, could he???????
Hail hail
Has anyone seen the film MR DEEDS.
brilliant.
Wee craigie bhoy should be in the sequel.
Its 0642 and I cannae wait for the BIG NEWS.
To put this in
The SFA allows sevco to do their own investigation,
They get the investigators to with hold the fact that whyte is a player in sevco 5088 and submit it in a separate letter,
They then transfer the sevco assets to Sevco Scotland and tell the SFA that whyte is not involved in Rangers to get a license to play.
The Rangers now own up that a letter exists due to the police becoming involved.
Sounds to me that the smelly stuff has just hit the fan and if the assets were transferred illegally as I suspect, then the next phase of this ongoing soap opera will surely get really interesting.
Nothing surprises me about this club any more.