Whyte’s £299k legal bill on taxpayers
Taxpayers will pay legal fees of at least £299,000 for cont roversial ex- Rangers owner Craig Whyte’s trial.
Lawyers acting for the businessman collected the fees in legal aid payments while representing Whyte in his lengthy High Cour t case.
But the figure is expected to rise as lawyers – including Donald Findlay QC and solicitor Paul Kavanagh – have another four months to submit further claims.
The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) – who pay legal bi l ls for people on low income – last week confirmed Whyte’s trial had so far cost t hem £ 299,000 in interim payouts.
Sources say the f inal bi l l for the si x- week hear ing in Glasgow, which ended on June 6, will almost cer tainly climb in the coming weeks.
Whyte – who has be en ba se d in Monaco and owned a castle in t he Highlands – was once portrayed as one of Scotland’s most successful entrepreneurs.
But his legal team applied for expenses from SLAB in 2015 after he was made bankrupt.
A source said: “It would not be surprising if another £200,000 ended up on top of the £299,000 already paid by the time invoices are sent and dealt with.
“Lengthy criminal trials frequently cost a lot in legal aid bills but not many go on for as long as six weeks.
“It was always going to be a significant bill.”
Why te was cleared of acquiring Rangers by fraud during his takeover in 2011.
The Crown al leged the 46- year- old pretended to then owner Sir David Murray that funds were ” immediately available” on an ”unconditional basis” to make all required payments to take control of the Glasgow club.
The trial heard that Whyte arranged a £ 24million loan from financial firm Ticketus, secured against three years of future season ticket sales, before he took control.
It took a jury just two hours to find him not guilty on two charges. The Crown Office have come under fire for pushing the case against Whyte – and hammering the taxpayer.
Many legal experts thought the evidence against him was too weak to have any chance of securing a conviction.
During a pre-trial hearing before Lord Bannatyne, Findlay described the case against the former Rangers owner as “vague, uncertain and unreliable”.
Lord Bannat yne a lso criticised prosecutors for being unclear what the charges were against Whyte. Ex-principal advocate depute in Scotland Brian McConnachie QC claimed SLAB should have been spared the burden of paying Whyte’s legal bills.
He said: “I don’t think this is a case which should have seen the light of day.
“There were certainly people within the Crown Office who didn’t consider it was an appropriate case to take up.
“I think the history of this case demonstrates a lot of bad decisions taken at various times by both the pol ice and ultimately by the Crown Office.”
SLAB last week confirmed the y had made int er im payments to Whyte’s team.
A spokesman said: “The total paid in legal assistance in relation to Craig Whyte’s trial is £299,000.
“His application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid.”
Some people at the Crown Office thought this case shouldn’t be taken up