Ibrox fraud charge sheet shames Scottish football- will anyone step up to save the shattered integrity?
For now it is entirely possible that the six men, plus Imran Ahmad, could be found not guilty on all charges.
If however any of the charges are found to be correct anyone that has been involved in the three lower divisions over the last four seasons has lost out- a club with virtually no substance and funded by the proceeds of crime has enjoyed two promotions, a play off place, a place in the Ramsdens Cup Final and semi-final appearances in the League Cup and Scottish Cup.
Other members of the Scottish Football Association, funded through legitimate means, living within budget have lost out to a club that has no place in the game, a club playing with the most incredible advantages imaginable trying to pass off a fairy-tale about their romantic journey back to their rightful place!
Not only were the SFA duped into giving Charles Green a licence in July 2012 but given a chance to investigate and punish Sevco for the links between Green and Craig Whyte the governing body placed it’s faith in an internal whitewash carried out by Pinsent Masons in May 2013 that found no links between the two businessmen. Yesterday’s rap sheet suggests otherwise.
While the BBC and others froth over marquee signings from Accrington Stanley and the extent of the war-chest of a convicted criminal from South Africa, supporters up and down the country are watching competitions where there is not remotely played out on a level playing field.
This week Cowdenbeath are selling tickets for a Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox. What sort of side would Colin Nish be able to field if the Fife club had obtained a five star stadium and state-of-the-art training complex for £5.5m in 2012?
What sort of squad- and how much prize money would they have if they had benefited from a £21m share issue in 2012?
If when the Cowdenbeath fans board their buses back to Fife on Sunday with the memories of a four or five goal defeat bouncing about in their minds they can hold their head up high knowing that they are supporting an honest entity playing by the same rules as all but one of their fellow members of the SFA and SPFL.
While the trial gets underway it’s unlikely that anything will be done in public by the SFA and SPFL, behind the scenes Scottish football requires brave men to step into the boots of Turnbull Hutton and call things out for what they are.
If any of the main charges are proved the only option is to cancel the membership of the club from Ibrox, there is no compromise, £250,000 fine or signing embargo that matches the crimes against Scottish football.
The anger of supporters that have bought four lots of season tickets and two lots of shares can be directed elsewhere, Scottish football has indulged the ambitions of clubs from Ibrox for long enough. With a level of financial reality in the game there has been trophy success celebrated in Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth and Paisley- all fully merited an indeed overdue after the decade long EBT scam.
If there are no Turnbull Hutton’s out there in Scottish football the game is up. Virtually no supporters will be taking up Stewart Milne’s plea to move on and leave behind cheating that has screwed the game from at least 1998 to the present day.
The enormity of yesterday’s charge sheet once again proved that the speculation of the internet bampots was correct, and probably understated.
Those in power in the Scottish game have the chance now to plot a new future which can’t involve any of those involved in the Five Way Agreement of 2012.
Scottish football can either become a circus at the end of this trial or start afresh without a current member- earning the trust of supporters through genuine transparcency and accountability where all clubs operate on similar principals.
THE CHARGE SHEET, thanks to AllyJambo (5.40pm) of the Scottish Football Monitor
I’m unable to discuss any matters discussed in court today but here is a summary of the updated indictment, which is a public document.
CW – Whyte, GW – Withey, DG – Grier, DW – Whitehouse, PC – Paul Clark, CG – Green, IA Ahmad
Substance of the charges:
1. CW, GW, DG, DW, PC conspired to obtain funds by fraud from Jerome, Merchant and Ticketus to fund the fraudulent purchase of the club (offence was aggravated)
• CW & GW obtained £2,825,000 by fraud from the trustees of the Jerome Pension Fund
• CW & GW obtained £1,000,00 by fraud from Merchant Turnaround PLC
• CW, GW & DG made false representations to Rangers Independent committee about the funding of the purchase
• CW & GW obtained £24,337,094 by fraud from Ticketus
• CW & GW made false representations to the Takeover panel re the funding
• CW failed to disclose a disqualification as a director
• CW & GW made false representation to the PLUS stock exchange re CW’s disqualification
• CW, GW & DG made false representations to Murray Holdings Ltd re funding of the purchase and the future funding of the club including the wee tax case (£2,800,000) and an H&S liability (£1,700,000)
2. CW & GW contravened the proceeds of crime act using the £28,262,094 obtained by fraud when purchasing the club
3. DG, DW & PC failed to report suspicions of Money Laundering by CW & GW using “Financial Assistance” to purchase the club, contrary to the proceeds of crime act
4. CW, GW, DG, DW, PC did conspire together to act as in Charge 1
5. CW & GW breached the Companies Act by using the clubs own money to fund the acquisition (Financial Assistance”
6. CW & GW committed fraud by failing to disclose CW’s disqualification to the SFA
7. CW & DG committed fraud by falsely submitting invoices for £253,800 to Rangers which should have been submitted to Liberty Capital.
8. CW & DG committed fraud by falsely submitting invoices for £409,320 to Rangers which should have been submitted to Liberty Capital.
9. CW & DG committed fraud by falsely submitting invoices for £66,120 to Rangers which should have been submitted to Liberty Capital.
10. CW, GW, DG, DW & PC conspired to defraud creditors, including non-payment of taxes and while they ran the club in order to facilitate CW in buying back the club debt free, which was in breach of the Companies Act
11. DW & PC perverted the course of justice when stating to Lord Hodge that they were unaware of the Ticketus arrangements
12. CW, GW, DW, PC, CG & IA conspired to defraud creditors by purchasing the club’s business and assets significantly below market value.
• CW, DW & PC sought to put the club in administration• Caused the court to appoint DW & PC as administrators
• DW & PC falsely pretended to act in the interests of all creditors
• CG falsely presented himself as an independent purchaser
• DW & PC pretended that the purpose of administration was to get the best return for creditors
• CW acquired Sevco 5088 of which CG was appointed director• CG received £25,000 from CW to pay legal fees related to Sevco 5088
• CG paid the legal fees with the £25,000
• IA paid the administrators DW & PC £200,000 as an exclusivity fee
• DW & PC granted Sevco 5088 exclusivity to the exclusion of other prospective purchasers
• CW paid £137,000 into IA’s mother’s account as part payment of the exclusivity fee
• DW & PC completed a sale and purchase agreement with CG on behalf of both Sevco 5088 and Sevco Scotland for a price of £5,500,000, significantly below market value.
• DW & PC falsely advised creditors that SPL prize money was reflected in the consideration paid for the assets, but the sale and purchase agreement reflected a “nil” consideration
• Permitted the transfer of £291,823.10 from Rangers Youth Development to help fund the purchase of assets
13. CW, GW, DW, PC, CG & IA participated in a conspiracy to purchase the business and assets of the club depriving creditors of the rightful sums due to them and the material benefit going to themselves
14. CW and IA defrauded investors in Sevco 5088 and RIFC, acquiring money and shares by fraud and to increase the value of their shares in RIFC
• CW pretended he had no interest in Sevco 5088• Induced investors to put £5,500,000 into Sevco 5088
• CG caused the change of exclusivity from Sevco 5088 to Sevco Scotland without proper approval
• CG did appropriate the £5,500,000 invested in Sevco 5088 by fraud without the investors knowledge or agreement
• CG & IA allotted themselves 2,000,000 shares
• CG & IA changed the name of Sevco Scotland to The Rangers Football Club
• CG & IA appointed Cenkos as a nomad but failed to advise them of the source of funding through Sevco 5088
• CG & IA thereby raised £21,000,000 in the IPO by fraud
15. CW failed to provide police with mobile phone and laptop passwords, when requested, in breach of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act by police contrary to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.