MSP in demand for independent inquiry into malicious Rangers prosecutions
An independent public inquiry must be held into malicious prosecutions by Scotland's Crown Office in connection with the collapse of Rangers almost a decade ago, MSPS have heard.
Tory Murdo Fraser told fellow MSPS yesterday that £24 million of taxpayers’ cash has reportedly been paid out to administrators after they were wrongly prosecuted over their role in the takeover of the Glasgow club.
Anditemergedyesterdaythat Lord Advocate James Wolfe will make a statement to MSPS on the issue when the case is finally disposed of in court.
The Lord Advocate has already admitted acting maliciously in seeking to prosecute four men over the 2012 takeoveroftheibroxclub,whileafifth manispursuingasimilarclaim.
Two of the men, administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clarke, reached an outof-court settlement with Police Scotland for an undisclosed sum in November.
They also reached an agreement with the Lord Advocate, who heads up the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), in December. The exactamountofthesettlements remains unconfirmed.
But Mr Fraser said: “If we are to believe media reports, David
Whitehouse and Paul Clarke, havealreadybeenpaidthesum of £24m in taxpayers’ money, withotherclaimsstillpending.”
Thepairwerearrestedin2014 along with Duff and Phelps colleague David Grier. All charges were dropped.
Mrfraserdemandedanindependent probe at the Scottish Parliament yesterday
“This was not just a mistake, butasinisterabuseofstatepowerthatstrikesattheveryheartof Scotland’s criminal justice system,” he said.
“It will end up costing taxpayers tens of millions of pounds yet we have heard no explanation from either the Lord Advocateorthesnpjusticesecretary.
“Who could possibly imagine that Scotland would become thekindofcountryinwhichthe full power of the state to prosecute people who they knew to be innocent?
“Peoplewillbeangry,disgusted and deeply concerned that Sturgeon’s Scotland is capable ofthetypeoftacticswetypically see in Putin’s Russia."
Mr Fraser said the probe should set out the full cost to taxpayers, as well as the Lord Advocate’s dual role as head of the prosecution service and a government minister.
The role of previous Lord Advocates and Police Scotland should also be looked at.
Mr Fraser and the party’s shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr met last week with two of the men.
Mr Fraser added: “Meeting withtwoofthesemenandhearingtheirpersonalaccountswas harrowing and I admire they and their lawyers’ tenacious fight for justice.
“If the Crown had got their way, they would have been jailed, financially ruined and had their reputations destroyed. A full public inquiry is absolutely vital to ensure the public see exactly what went wrong and why."
Financesecretarykateforbes told MSPS she could not confirm the numbers involved, but said it would not affect the day-to-day operations of the Crown Office, including services to victims and witnesses.