The Craig Whyte fraud trial has heard evidence today that strongly suggests that Rangers (IL) were wrongly awarded a licence to play in the 2011/12 Champions League qualifiers.
A determined group of Celtic shareholders have raised the matter believing that the club from Ibrox had overdue tax payables at 30 June 2011.
If their rare comments on the matter the SFA have referred to a 30 March 2011 deadline and also suggested that the so-called Wee Tax Case was still in dispute between the club and HMRC.
Former Ibrox Finance Director Donald McIntyre appeared at the trial today and revealed a number of details that confirmed that the wee tax case relating to undeclared payments to Ronald de Boer and Tore Andre Flo was overdue.
Whyte paid £1 for the institution in May 2011 with one of the conditions being that he paid off the wee tax case. On 30 June when a licence was granted the bill was still unpaid with Sheriff Officers visiting the club early on the following season to enforce payment.
When Rangers were placed in liquidation in June 2012 the bill remained unpaid.
Whyte paid £18 to Lloyd’s bank when he took over Rangers and commited £9m for playing squad and “small tax case”
— James Doleman (@jamesdoleman) April 24, 2017
McIntyre says Lloyd’s were going to close Rangers overdraft if the deal with Craig Whyte was not approved.
— James Doleman (@jamesdoleman) April 24, 2017
McIntyre agrees club also owed £2.8m to HMRC due to “trusts being set up”
— James Doleman (@jamesdoleman) April 24, 2017
Findlay suggests Rangers board knew about tax bill in January but hadn’t “agreed when to pay it” when Whyte took over in March
— James Doleman (@jamesdoleman) April 24, 2017
Had Rangers operated the way that other clubs did settling the wee tax case would have been a priority over the £4m agreed transfer fee to Rapid Vienna for Nikica Jelavic.
Without the goals of Jelavic it’s doubtful if Rangers (IL) would have won the 2010/11 SPL title giving them the opportunity to play in the Champions League qualifiers.
Despite not disclosing full details of how De Boer and Flo were being paid, and having the method declared in breach of tax regulations no punishment was ever handed out to Rangers. Flo and de Boer were signed in the 2000/01 season.
Mr McIntyre says in Jan/Feb 2011 , Rangers owed £2.8m to Inland Revenue.
— Andrew Black (@BBCAndrewBlack) April 24, 2017