Walk away now

Lawyer warned Whyte against Ibrox takeover

ever bother to hand over a £1 coin, even as a souvenir?” Withey said he was not aware of that.

Later, Withey said both tax cases had “caused real difficulty”.

Findlay asked him: “So, you are left with saying to your client, ‘Here is the situation, I would walk away, but it is up to you.’ That is what you did?”

Withey said: “Probably on more occasions than I care to remember. I thought he was mad.

“I told him to walk away but by the time he is going to sign, it’s too late. He’s going to sign.”

The jury then heard about David Grier – another person said to have been involved in the takeover negotiations.

Findlay asked Withey what he believed Grier’s role to have been. Withey replied: “With the benefit of hindsight, to get Rangers Football Club into administration and walk away with millions of pounds of fees.”

Grier was said to have been involved in talks with Lloyds Bank regarding the £18million loan that was owed by the club.

But Withey said he spoke to Whyte about Grier, adding: “I could not work out what he was doing there.”

He also told the court Grier got a £200,000 fee before he was part of a firm – Duff and Phelps – who were involved in the later administration of Rangers.

Withey said: “It was a nice deal for them.”

The trial, before Judge Lady Stacey, continues.